i'm working on reading

do you remember those new year's resolutions we all made a few months ago? mr. pike and i made a list together, and it's posted on our fridge. (although it's slightly covered up, and we don't look at it very often.)

on most occasions, i can't remember the majority of our goals. (isn't that a great way to get them accomplished!) but, one i really have been working on is reading more. my goal is to read 10 books this year. for some that may be highly ambitious, for others quite a pittance. i'd like to say someday that i read more than that. but, as it stands now, it's taken me three months to finish my first book.

and that's not any reflection on the book -- the dirty life by kristin kimball. i loved it! i gave the book to mr. pike for christmas, and then proceeded to steal it away to read. we both had read an excerpt from the book in an in-flight magazine, and were drawn in by the way kristin writes.

she is a masterful writer that takes you right into her world. there were moments i was ready to give up suburban life for the farm. and moments i still do. but, she doesn't sugar coat the hard work and trials of living off the land either. it's really beautiful and real.

and while we have no plans of buying a farm any day soon, i have already been planning this year's garden. i'm really excited. i bought a few seeds this week to start my lettuce, spinach, and carrots. and when it really warms up around here, we'll plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, and herbs. our new place has a nice, little deck that is very sunny. and i think our garden will be very happy there.

now i'm working on the book thief -- which i'm enjoying immensely. but, after that i'm not sure what to read. any suggestions?

reading with little girl

little girl has a new favorite book -- mommies say shh! by patricia polacco. (i love the illustrations!)

we've had it since she was born, but the past few weeks it has been her book of choice. we've read it so often that i shouldn't have been surprised when little girl started helping with the animal sounds. when we read together, it still makes me smile -- thinking how much little girl is learning.

here's a clip of a recent reading. enjoy! (and good news -- the camera is working again! thank you, mr. pike!)

thank you, mr. shea

mr. pike sent me a note yesterday while he was at work.


"i visited our blog earlier today and did you see that THE bob shea commented on your post. that's right, THE bob shea. you're famous.

love you!"


wow! mr. shea at our blog. wish i had baked a cake or something. or passed along some of the ginger almonds.

i do want to thank mr. shea for stopping by. mr. shea, you made my day. and week. and quite possibly my life. thank you!

i think everyone should check out mr. shea and his friend, mr. smith's recommendations for inappropriate books for kids at curious pages. they've found some great literary gems out there!

like the man who lost his head by claire huchet bishop and robert mccloskey. and grammar can be fun by munro leaf.

and i can't wait to find a copy of tooters, tweeters, strings and beaters by allen l. richardson and art seiden for myself. fun title. great illustrations. and melodic poems about instruments.

my new favorite author

i happened to run into my friend and her two cute daughters at the library this week. baby girl and i were just picking up some new movies but decided to hang around with mrs. warner and her girls. we headed to the children's section, where mrs. warner stumbled across new socks by bob shea.

i told her i'd give it a read to see if the book was worthy to be checked out. and wow! was it ever check-out worthy! it's we need-to-own worthy! what could be more fun that a cool chick with new orange socks! and who happens to find out about this news? none other than the president himself!

mrs. warner was lucky enough to include this winner in her stack of check outs. and i came home and told mr. pike about this fun book we needed to get.

so a few days later when mr. pike, baby girl, and i were picking up a few children's books for a baby shower, i came across another bob shea book. dinosaur vs. bedtime. we bought it. (i would have bought new socks, too, if they had had it in stock.)

we read it that night to baby girl. and she laughed so much. she loved all the roaring. and both mr. pike and i were thoroughly entertained. but you don't have to take my word for it . . . .

a timeless work

i was probably six years old when mr. pike senior (my older brother) received an electric kit. the contraption was about the same size as my talespin lunch box and was designed to feed the curious mechanical mind. i remember the first time he configured the wires to light the bulb in the corner of the electric board. wow. that was a moment to remember.

until recently, i thought such boyhood thrills could and would only be relived in my memory...until, that is, mrs. pike introduced me to one of the greatest books ever written - the dangerous book for boys.


the book contains tidbits on just about everything you'd ever want to know. for example, how to make a periscope, build a battery, write a poem, communicate in morris code, make cloth fireproof, and teach dogs tricks. it tells about constellations, timers and tripwires, tree houses, and girls. yes, the book contains advise about girls. despite my marital status, i found the advise profound. with two little brothers who just recently joined the dating ranks again (after an extended hiatus) in mind, i'd like to quote a few passages, found on page 109.

"It is important to listen. Human beings are often self-centered and like to talk about themselves. In addition, it's an easy subject if someone is nervous. It is good advise to listen closely - unless she has also been given this advise, in which case an uneasy silence could develop, like two owls sitting together."

and this wise advise about humor...

"Be careful with humor. It is very common for boys to try to impress girls with a string of jokes, each one more desperate than the last. One joke, perhaps, and then a long silence while she talks about herself."

and, finally, this advise about lending a helping hand...

"If you see a girl in need of help - unable to lift something, for example, - do not taunt her. Approach the object and greet her with a cheerful smile, while surreptitiously testing the weight of the object. If you find you can lift it, go ahead. If you can't, try sitting on it and engaging her in conversation."

it's bound to be a timeless classic in the pike home. we may, however, be using the dangerous book for girls, which a friend of mrs. pike's kindly contributed to our family library, sooner than the book for boys.