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| Garden Friends December 2013 |
Snow arrived today (estimates of up to 7 inches!), bringing with it a sleigh filled with gifts:
1. An excuse for another cup of favorite tea. Savor.
2. A good book to read--particularly next to a window with a view of the wonder. Snuggle.
3. A slower pace. Sigh and Smile.
4. Beauty and freshness, a hush and a stillness. Serenity.
About Wildflower Tea (Grades 1-4) from School Library Journal: "'One sunny Monday in May, an old man went out with a basket in one hand and a walking stick in the other...He stooped to caress a white stone polished smooth by the water and there, by the toe of his shoe, he spied some violets their faces turned up to his.' So begins a lyrical, seven-month record of a nature lover's scavenging. In November, the bounty he has reaped all summer provides his wildflower tea."
Who was Ethel Pochocki?
From Goodreads: "Ethel Frances Pochocki (1925-2010) was a children's book author living in Brooks, Maine. She developed a passion for books and writing working at the New York City Public Library. While raising eight children, she turned to writing in the early morning hours. Her writing career began when she won an essay writing contest about her experience taking in inner city kids with the Fresh Air Project in New York City."
From About the Author, Amazon: "Ethel Pochocki described herself as 'an ordinary person' who happened to 'make soup and raise kids and write stories.' Both kitchencraft and the experience of raising children--eight of them--contributed to a whimsical, down-to-earth and understanding touch...she concocted adventures with the ordinary but vivid ingredients of life--'books, cats, music, frogs, hollyhocks.'"
Ethel sounds like someone I could relate to--"making soup, raising kids, and writing stories." Though I'd never heard of her before, I'm thinking about checking out her books now.
But maybe not until the snow stops falling.
How do you enjoy a snow day?
Hope you're able to enjoy it in safety. Have a super weekend.
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Here in Sacramento, we don't get snow. Well, once in a blue moon a white powder will fall at night and disappear before mid-morning. It's only happened once in the 30 years we've lived here.
ReplyDeleteBut I love the sound of the book, Wildflower Tea, and the author does sound interesting. I'll have to pay a visit to my library and see if some of her books are there. Thanks for an interesting post.
I love the things you plan to do as a result of snow. Me, too. We have only a couple of inches, but the temperature is somewhere around 5-18 degrees and the wind chill is up to 30 below zero. Fortunately, it's not too windy.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this author who, unfortunately, has died and will probably soon be forgotten, until I looked her up on Amazon. I am sure I would love her work and, indeed, I personally own her Rosebud and Red Flannel book, which I love very much. I had thought it would work well in a storytime theme, but alas, this generation of children--even in our rural area--didn't seem to connect with it. Children, at least in storytimes, don't connect with quiet books.
We don't get much snow here but we do get it once in a great while and it doesn't stay long. I'm always wishing for snow. :)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, funny how a quote leads to a name and the name to a book we want to read. I've put Wildflower Tea on my library list, too. And living in Sacramento, you probably don't miss sledding and other snow activities, you have your own attractions to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCathy, brrr, sounds cold over your way--temps are predicted to fall in the teens here this week, too. Bundle up :-) And Rosebud and Red Flannel, though a quiet read, appeals to me. I should put it on my TBR pile as well. But I know what you mean that children don't necessarily connect with that kind of story. It would have to have quite the emotional appeal to entertain them.
Kimberly, sounds like snow would be quite the event in your neck of the woods. On cold days like this one, I might give up the beauty of the snow to be somewhere warmer! Have a great week...
When we get snow, the first thing I always do is wish I didn't have to go out in it - or occasionally, give thanks that I don't. Like this morning, we're under a weather advisory. I've checked twice and seen that we didn't get too much. Good news since I have to give a final exam at 9:00. No snow days for me. But IF I were home, I'd be writing. Probably in a fluffy bathrobe. Probably with the blind raised so I could savour the beauty outside my window. Most certainly with a cup of hot coffee near enough to sip between paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteRoads are clear here, too, so--instead of writing--we're heading out to pick up a couple of grandkids. We'll probably get out with them on our small hill for a sled riding adventure. Like you, their mom is giving final exams today...
ReplyDeleteThe only snow we might get is a dusting, but we finally got some freezing weather and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteSnow is so pretty when it first falls. It's just the staying-around part that bothers me. :-)
ReplyDeleteLoved the mood of your post. I love January and February snows the best because I don't have Christmas tasks hanging over me and can savor it as you planned to do--before efficient road crews changed your day!
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