My husband and I looked down at our sad miniature rose. "I don't think it's going to make it," Peter said. When Peter gave me the little rose bush, it boasted a wealth of tiny red blossoms. Now, we knew the rose was in trouble. The plant struggled to thrive on the shaded deck of our Berkeley apartment. In an attempt to find more sun, we moved the plant container several times, Nothing helped and it was discouraging to see the leaves dropping off every day. Just when the rose

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. — Cicero Lush gardens and books are delights that never grow old. The Roman statesman and philosopher, Cicero, lived between 106 and 43 BC. Yet, his quote is just as fresh and appropriate on the first day of spring in 2021. When walking into a spring garden full of bold red tulips and enchanting yellow daffodils, bringing a carefully selected book to read is a must. As the days grow longer, imagine reading in o

Autumn on Prince Edward Island My husband and I started out married life in an apartment near the University of California, Berkeley. When I began working in the library there, I would just happen to walk along Telegraph Avenue on my way home. Lining that street is a bibliophile's dream: a different bookstore with practically every step. I wandered into one of the bookshops and discovered a volume called the The Anne of Green Gables Treasury of Days, edited by Carolyn Strom C

"Still round the corner there may wait, A new road or a secret gate." —J. R. R. Tolkien Question: What do these baby raccoons have in common with author J. R. R. Tolkien? Answer: Curiosity. And, for Tolkien, that curiosity sometimes led to disappointment...at first. Along the way, though, unexpected new roads and secret gates gave Tolkien his own fascinating path to travel. The following is my tribute to J. R. R. Tolkien as we celebrate Hobbit Day during the month of Septembe

I first heard about Bookcrossing.com from my Scottish reading friend, Allison M. She writes in her blog about releasing three books "into the wild" on her holiday to Poland recently. I had never heard of Bookcrossing before, but love the way Allison describes it. It seems like such a serendipitous way to share books and follow the new path they take. I learned that Bookcrossing allows readers to register any book they please and then leave it on a park bench, a café table or

For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. (Song of Solomon 2:11-12 ESV) What makes light so powerful? The light streaming in through a window in late spring makes everything feel more hopeful and promising. At the Chicago World's Fair, a beautiful kind of light was remembered by many who attended the Exposition in 1893. On the Wooded Island, vi

The temperature had dipped to 7° F, and I was concerned. On winter walks, I always watch for one of my favorite birds—the ones with the charming name—Golden-crowned Kinglets. These birds are small, friendly, and always on the move. As they flutter around, they keep up a constant chatter with each other like tiny bells ringing. In the coldest temperatures, how does such a tiny bird survive? What I've learned about their clever strategy helped me as a writer. It's a story that

"Each of us has something to give that no one else has." ​ As I took a walk around my favorite lake, I snapped a quick picture. When I came home and checked my camera, I found this surprising image: The two ducks looking back seem to be asking, "What happened? Where are our sparkles?" ​ I can identify with those two ducks. When I become discouraged, thinking others have written better books, designed much more fabulous websites and have 1,000 comments after every post, I need

Mary Stewart Moment #1 I had a delightful and unexpected “Mary Stewart" moment this week—a perfect way to celebrate the author’s birthday anniversary on September 17th. In my previous blog post here, I’d named Mary Stewart as my favorite author to reread. Hiking along a trail a few days ago, I stopped to admire a butterfly. Fortunately, I had my camera with me and the butterfly obligingly posed for a series of pictures. Returning home, I meant to do some research and see what

Do you remember the posters of your childhood? I especially recall the ones I saved up for with pennies, nickels and dimes earned from doing chores. As a Beatles fan, I once counted out the coins in my hand and bought a poster with the title of their song, “Let It Be.” The Beatles: George, Ringo, Paul and John. Photo Credit: The Library of Congress In a departure, the poster didn’t feature the Fab Four. Instead, an image of a forest, with sunlight streaming through the branc