Einstein. One of the best thinkers I've been learning more about lately

The View Outside My Window

The details and visitors change from week to week at the bird feeder outside my window. During winter, I had juncos and chickadees. With the arrival of warmer weather, spring brought in finches and other assorted sparrows. Because the populations of song birds have been decreasing across North America, I hope my little feeders help the birds sustain themselves through whatever hardships they encounter.  It is sad to think that someday their songs may be silent, unless we work to do better for them and for ourselves. Ultimately, the health of wildlife around us is a reflection of our own. As the cities of Flint in Michigan and Porter Ranch in California have shown, we are not immune from our actions.

Holiday book list 2015

I love books. I love the lure of a new story, visiting places I haven't been, finding hope in the promise for better ever-afters, and discovering new itineraries to self-discovery and connections with the wider world of people around me. If I enter a book store, time drifts; and I can browse for hours, marveling at the creativity that's sprung forth from fellow authors. At the holidays I am especially susceptible to becoming lost in the shelves, whether they belong to a library, a store, or happen to be my own.

Here are a few titles I've been drawn to for those on my gift list this year.

How to Catch Santa by Jean Reagan. Illustrated by Lee Wildish 

This is a fun delight, focusing on holiday traditions of wonder and magic.

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. The rhyme works and the story is heart-felt, which means that this will be one that will be read again and again.

The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau. A story inspired by interactions between characters from different cultures. This one is set in Mexico about friendship that spans generations.

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. This book is sure to please my sailor-dad, although I wish I had more time to spend reading it before I have to give it away. What is it about? The subtitle reads, "The forgotten war that changed American History."

And lastly, what am I reading now?

Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli. Set in Tennessee, this is another story that mingles two worlds into one through examining bonds between nations and families of the Scots-Irish and Cherokee descent. Since my father's side of my family is descended from marriage between Scots-Irish and Cherokee of Tennessee, I was drawn to this story.

Happy Holidays! Happy Reading! Happy Feasting!