Friends

This is Jake. He is my morning alarm clock. Jake taps at my bedroom window to let me know that it is breakfast time for him. So, I load his feeder with whole peanuts and he is a happy Scrub Jay.

Dear Friends

I know, I know, it has been a long, long time, but you all know what a hectic and joyous time of year this is. We had company for five days, cooked many meals, and had lots of great adventures. I am hoping that your Thanksgiving was wonderful and filled with love. Ours was. We celebrated our first Thanksgiving with a little boy who fought hard and long for life. He is our blessing.

Thanks so much for your letters, cards, and gifts. I can't believe how thoughtful you all are. Oh, and a wonderful gift was this autographed book from the author herself. It was a surprise, but oh how welcome in my library. 

Marta McDowell's book, Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life, is scholarly, but homey, elegant, and filled with information for all the fans of Beatrix and her works. I LOVE this book. For those of you who are Beatrix lovers too, please visit my blog posting I did on Beatrix's beloved Hilltop a few years ago.

Thanks dear Marta. I wish you great success. YOUR book is brilliant!

And to my dear Cousin Julie Marie at Idyllhours.blogspot.com. Thank you for the little squirrel friend who is doing her best to get me through my separation anxiety with my little Audrey.

As I work through 280 pages of what is called First Pass on my new middle grade novel, Running Out of Night, (Delacorte Press/Randon House, Fall 2014), the sights outside my window keep me going. What could be tedious and trying is punctuated by the beauty and grace of the birds in my life. I love them.

What better gift for a youngster than a simple feeder or a birdbath? Such a great way to introduce a child (or someone who is infirm and housebound) to the nature right outside a window. I treasure my bird friends and love them so much.

The shy Hermit Thrush visits a few times a day for berries and baths.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler ...

... drinking daintily.

Dear little Chestnut-backed Chickadees and White-crowned Sparrows feasting at the wooden feeder Jeff built for me. Such a busy stop for so many birds.

House Finches try to run the show...

...but the chickadee never gives up. (A good lesson for us all?)

An immature White-crowned Sparrow

Jeff shows our little guy how to feed the birds.

And at the window feeder he drops in seed by seed. Phew, that took awhile. This is a great feeder with heavy duty suction cups to hold it on the window and an easy fold out front for quick cleaning. This comes with my book My First Bird Book and Bird Feeder (Workman Publishing).

You're never too young to enjoy nature. And, never too old.

This is my girlfriend, author Sherry Shahan. Her grandsons used the recipe for my bird booster, which can be found in Toad Cottages and Shooting Stars and My First Bird Book and Bird Feeder.

Bird Booster Recipe: 

Note: please replace peanut butter with almond butter IF your child has an allergy to peanuts.

1 cup almond or crunchy peanut butter

1 cup canola oil

4 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup white flour

A few tablespoons of shelled sunflower seeds and/or raisins.

Mix together and stuff into a pine cone. Hang the cone from a wire or string. Place it where you and your children can enjoy all the activity. The birds need protein and fat during the winter months. Feed them and feed your soul!

NEWS FLASH!! The winner of Susan Branch's new book, A Fine Romance, has never responded. So Jeff did another random number generator choice and the winner is number 67, Bonnie K at Birds, Bees, Berries, and Blooms. Bonnie is a Grimy Hands Girls' Club member so she'll be receiving a bonus gift.

Joys to you and love across the miles,

Sharon

Kindle Some Passion for the Little Things in Life!

Some passions, like mine for lichens, never die. I first began to explore the tiny world of lichens in 1969. Oak moss lichen, above right,  is often used as a fixative in pot pourris.

Was I ever really that skinny? This is my journal from that time, which was an exciting one. We took a 28,000 mile nature trip up, down, round and round America, exploring every nature stop, birding area, refuge, and campground we could find. We had a book called See America for Free, and since we were young and poor, that suited us fine. 

A close-up of my favorite lichen, British Soldiers.

We bought a brand new Volkswagen van, converted it into a cozy camper, and set off for our adventure. Along the way, I drew and painted things I loved, and we took photos and wrote in our journal every day. It was on this trip that I discovered British Soldier lichen, first in New Hampshire, then Maine, and Connecticut. I fell in love with their tiny world. From that time to now, the passion still remains. I can't pass by a rock or log, tree or fallen branch, without stopping to examine and enjoy the beauty and diversity of lichens.

I hope you will kindle some passion for lichen too. You'll discover lichen nearly everywhere– from the Sahara desert to the Arctic, from rocks to buildings and trees. Now pick up a magnifying glass and take a walk. You're sure to find some of these ancient tapestries.

When Jeff and I were in England's Lake District, doing research for a children's book, we were able to view an entire collection of lichen and mushroom paintings (at the Armitt Museum) done by Beatrix Potter, who was not only an illustrator, but also an amateur scientist. Beatrix did amazing work into the science of lichens. Although she was not allowed to present a paper on her work (she was a woman, after all), she is now recognized as a luminary in the field of scientific illustration and studies. In 2012, she was celebrated by the prestigious Linnean Society of London for her work with fungi and lichens. Finally.

I've included a few of my favorites for you to enjoy. These photos were taken in a wonderful class sponsored by our local chapter of the California Native Plant Society in San Luis Obispo, California.

This is a sampling of some types of lichen, from foliose, which has two sided foliage, and fruticose, which is shrubby, to the crusty looking Crustose, such as the lichens on the surface of rock above.

You can see why this is called Lace lichen (top) or Fishnet lichen. It is often mistakenly called Spanish moss, but it is a lichen, which is distinctly different. A lichen is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an algae. This lichen festoons trees like veils. It DOES NOT injure trees, but it does offer nesting fiber for birds, food for deer, and it traps fog moisture and slowly drips it onto the soil, thus watering the trees. Native Americans gathered quantities of the lichen and used it for diapers. Take about recyclable, but ouch.

Jeff sits at the end of our table of lichens. 

This foliose lichen is often found on conifers.

Perfect name for this one. Viewed through a hand lens, it does look like teensy cobblestones or tiles.

Yep, perfect description. See the little red dots?

Before I end this posting, I am thrilled to offer this early copy of Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman's new organic gardening and cook book, The Four Season Farm Gardener's Cookbook (Workman Publishing). I have spent hours going through the pages and copying recipes for the future. You'll love this book. Just leave a comment on my blog, and you will be eligible for the drawing. Grimy Hands Girls' Club members will also receive an extra surprise gift if drawn. I devoured every page. Take a look at some of the interior shots, mostly photographed by Barbara.

Delicious photographs

Leave a comment and keep your fingers crossed.

And the lucky winner of the antique bird nest and egg print in glass is...Rebecca of A Gathering Place.

Sending love across the miles,

Sharon

P.S. I want to thank so many of you for unexpected cards and gifts. Susy Stone, I love your paper bird, and have now made almost a dozen. This is a great project for children. So simple even I could do it.

Nellie Bragg, your card meant so much to me.

Patsy Lee Anderson, I love your handmade bookmark.

Thank you all for your e-mails too.

"But is it still magic in here?"

"Welcome to Hill Top," the robin chirped (I think). "Miss Potter left the garden gate unlatched."

The little red-breasted robin trilled a welcoming song to us as we walked into Beatrix Potter's Hill Top cottage. Inside, a fire crackled, children wandered wide-eyed through the rooms, and a little girl asked, "Is Beatrix Potter here today?" "I'm sorry, she isn't," the blue eyed docent answered. "But is it still magic here," the little girl asked as she fondled her Peter Rabbit book. "Oh yes, it is still magic here," the docent replied. And it is...a hundred years of magic for millions of children, and, yes, for all of us who will always be children at heart as long as we live.

 The original iron gate leading to the walled garden.

 The parlor window.

 What am I photographing? Clusters of Sempervivum tectorum, also known as houseleeks or live forevers. They are believed to protect a home from lightning. 

 But I love the ancient name for these plants, which is "Welcome home husband, however late and drunk thee may be."

In the caretaker's window.

The gate that opens from the walled garden to the orchard.

Inside the walled garden.

Hill Top behind me, but I felt like it was really heaven.

Love the old trough in the garden, which was a magnet for birds. Look to the right and you can see the poacher's spade stuck in the ground. It is just like the one that is pictured in Peter Rabbit with a robin sitting on the handle.

A feast for my eyes wherever I looked.

Jemima Puddleduck's egg tucked under a leaf in the walled garden.

You will see this wooden beehive in many of her books. I love the cloche next to it.

The bee hive with shallots drying beneath it.

The old rhubarb forcer has seen many years of service.

Ok, I'll take this wheelbarrow, but HOW do I get it home?

The front entryway to Hill Top

Looking into the apple orchard and beyond.

Beatrix's beloved Herdwick sheep.

Our new friend Gillian, the gift shop manager, shared some rare insights with us. The white house with the bay windows to the right is "Miss Potter's marital home with Mr. Heelis." She passed away in that room looking out to the hillsides and village she loved beyond any others. See the sinuous walled pathway behind the house? We were told that Beatrix and Mr. H. always walked this pathway up to their beloved "tarn" (Cumbrian for pond) at the top of the hill. Quite a hike. It took us about 50 minutes to make it to the top. I know that Beatrix's feet gave her problems in her late 50s, and I'm sure she couldn't have walked up there with bad feet. 

Jeff photographing the hillsides on the walk up to the tarn.

Looking back to the village of Hill Top from the pathway.

Twist my arm and I'll stay here for a life time. Beatrix Potter bought over 4,000 acres and a few farms and donated them all to the National Trust. They're preserved forever all thanks to a determined lady who wrote her "little books" for children. 

Peacefully hiking the pathway and doing close up photos of lichen... 

See the beautiful lichens and mosses. A miniature world inhabited by a red jacketed British Soldier lichen. I love them. 

I loved these words from Beatrix's journal: "All the little fungus people singing and bobbing and dancing in the grass and under the leaves all down below, like the whistling that some people cannot hear of stray mice and bats." Beatrix believed that the faerie fungus people "laugh and clap their hands, especially the little ones that grow in troops and rings amongst dead leaves in the woods."

I'm hiking down the pathway, minding my own business and quietly enjoying the countryside when I hear...

...the thunder of little hooves. I moved against the wall, and they ran past me.

This is Buckle Yeat B& B, which is next door to Hill Top. This lovely building was often pictured in her books. You can stay here, and we wanted to, but the entire inn was booked for a wedding.

Right alongside the road there was this wonderful display of squash.

Nice woodpile cloaked in sweet peas and topped with a green roof.

The tarn where Beatrix and Mr. Heelis picnicked and fished. Can't you see why she so loved it there? I heard many rumors about where she was buried, but particularly liked the one that her ashes are scattered here in a spot she loved. 

I sketched above the tarn and could see Miss Potter choosing the exact spot, which was a perfect look out over everything.

Me and my best friend having a wonderful adventure together.

I hope this isn't too long for you, but I wanted to somehow repay you for the dozens and dozens of well wishes and loving thoughts. I am so sorry that I am behind in answering you, but we've just returned and now I am preparing to give my talk ("The Artist in the Garden and the Garden in the Artist") at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which is a world class jewel. It would be wonderful to see you there Thursday, October 7th at 6:00 p.m.. Tickets are $15.00 for non-members, $10 for member. A booksigning with refreshments will follow my talk and all proceeds will benefit the garden. If you come early take the time to enjoy the amazing Children's Garden. It is breathtaking.

I'll be working on my slide program and also more blog entries. Look for our two visits to the fabulous and historic town of Oxford where we walked in the tracks of C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Tolkien, and more. Also two meals at Jamie's Italian, the masterpiece of Jamie Oliver. Wow! Won't you drop by again in a few days for a visit?

All love and best wishes to you,

Sharon

P.S. We had a chance to visit the adorable Rachel Lucas (Mozart's Girl). She is "The Queen of the Blue Angel Bakery" and now has a stall in the Aylesbury Farmer's Market. I'll tuck her into one of the next blog entries. Rachel's creations are beautiful and scrumptious. We were so happy to witness the legions of fans she has amassed through the years. Please visit her blog and get to know her better.