Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 707 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Spring

March 20, 2019 at 10:34 am by Claudia

Happy First Day of Spring! (Finally!)

“As is” in this photo. Don’s books, headphones, charger, various coasters – all on the coffee table. You might notice that Don’s vintage camera is now on the lower shelf of the blue table. I finally managed to persuade him to move it from its longtime home on the red-checked chair. That chair is one of my favorites (a $50 steal way back when we lived in San Diego) and I miss having the option to sit there. It was as if we had a constant guest sitting in that chair: “The Camera Who Came to Dinner.”

Speaking of the camera, Don will soon be able to get back outside taking his Polaroid Portraits. It’s been a long stretch of no picture taking and I know he misses it. He’s already signed up for the weekly Farmer’s Market (he’s been very successful there.) Don’s a social guy – much more so than me – and he loves meeting people and taking their pictures. Can’t wait to seem him work his magic once again.

Yesterday, I spotted some day lilies emerging from the ground in the garden bed right outside the living room. I’m sure there are a lot more around the various garden beds, but they’re covered in leaves and I won’t uncover them until we are past nighttime freezes. And we aren’t. Sometime next month.

We watched two documentaries this week: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? about Fred Rogers, and the other, Free Solo, about a guy who climbed Ed Capitan in Yosemite without ropes – just with his two feet and his hands. Both were wonderful. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? brought tears to our eyes. What an extraordinary man he was with such a kind, compassionate, and giving heart. And Free Solo was a terrific portrait of a man driven to climb. There were moments when I had to cover my eyes, but boy, was it powerful. Both of the docs are on the On Demand channel on our cable – and they’re free. Free Solo won the Academy Award for Best Documentary this year.

Today’s weather is going to be in the 50s and I’m going to open the windows and the front door, because Thursday and Friday are going to bring a lot of rain.

Enjoy this first day of Spring, my friends.

Happy Wednesday.

Books and Reviewing Them

March 19, 2019 at 11:16 am by Claudia

The other side of the pew. You can see from the carving, that it was attached to another pew at some point. I like both sides of the pew, one for its ornate carving, the other for this bold, almost sculptural cut-out. I added the antique doorstop I got at auction many years ago.

I’m running a bit late today. For the past three days, I’ve been having trouble falling asleep at night. Yesterday, I was sleep-deprived. Fortunately, even though it took me ages to get to sleep last night, I slept until nearly 9 am this morning, so I feel much better. But my schedule has been thrown off!

Thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s book review. For those of you who are newer to the blog, I have written literally (and I never use literally unless I mean ‘literally’) hundreds of book reviews over the course of this blog’s 11+ years of existence – so many, that I started a separate blog about books. And I reviewed books there, as well.

It all caught up with me a couple of years ago. I had so many books to read and review at any given moment that I was no longer reading for pleasure. I was suffering from burnout. One day, as I was sitting here in my blogging chair, I decided to delete the book blog. One click – gone. I felt enormous relief. And then, even though I was still getting book review offers, I backed away from them. I clearly needed a break. Recently, I found myself thinking about reviewing again, but at a much saner pace. Maybe a book a month? Maybe less?

I see so many book reviewers who seem to think a review is regurgitating the plot with one or two sentences addressing whether the reviewer liked it or not. That’s their review. That’s it. They are getting free books from the publisher in exchange for that review and I think they can do better. To be balanced in my thoughts about this subject, there are several book reviewers on Instagram who write detailed, informative reviews – who really put an enormous amount of effort into their response. They do very good work. While I’m far from the best reviewer out there, I do try to be fair and give solid reasons for my response, whether positive or not-so-positive. And I always try to find something good about a book, as well. Since you’re all aware of my thoughts on theater critics, especially the ones who let their personal bias inform the review, I’m sure you understand why I work very hard to be fair. Not everyone’s taste is my taste. And I always try to address that.

Anyway…

I escaped the house yesterday and went to the bookstore. Well, I went to Michael’s first, where I purchased some craft paint and brushes for the ongoing work on the dollhouse. Then to B & N, where I departed with three magazines and a book. Yes, there was a line at Michael’s, even though there was hardly anyone in the store. The book I purchased was by Ian Rankin, a very well known, longtime writer of mysteries. I’ve always known about him, but I’ve never read any of his books. A post from The Mysterious Bookshop about his most recent book (he was there for a signing) made me think I should stop and take notice. Have any of you read his books?

It’s still somewhat chilly out there, but it’s sunny. And Spring is a day away.

Happy Tuesday.

Book Review: How to Know the Birds by Ted Floyd

March 18, 2019 at 8:00 am by Claudia

Today I am sharing my review of How to Know the Birds by Ted Floyd. Thank you to National Geographic and TLC Book Tours for supplying a review copy of this book.

About the Book:

Become a better birder with brief portraits of 200 top North American birds. This friendly, relatable book is a celebration of the art, science, and delights of bird-watching.

How to Know the Birds introduces a new, holistic approach to bird-watching by noting how behaviors, settings, and seasonal cycles connect with shape, song, color, gender, age distinctions, and other features traditionally used to identify species. With short essays on 200 observable species, expert author Ted Floyd guides us through a year of becoming a better birder, each species representing another useful lesson: from explaining scientific nomenclature to noting how plumage changes with age, from chronicling migration patterns to noting hatchling habits. Dozens of endearing pencil sketches accompany Floyd’s charming prose, making this book a unique blend of narrative and field guide. A pleasure for birders of all ages, this witty book promises solid lessons for the beginner and smiles of recognition for the seasoned nature lover.

My review:

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am a lover of birds, that I am endlessly fascinated by them, and that I love to photograph them. I wouldn’t have thought to classify myself as a birder, but maybe I am! I only know that I love them.

I have several bird identification guides that I consult regularly. This book, however, is different. It’s not a traditional identification guide, however, you will learn so much about identifying birds through the absolutely delightful essays written by author Ted Floyd, who is the Editor of Birding Magazine.

Divided into six sections, the books designed to teach us over the course of a year. “Spark Bird”! which covers the first of the year, speaks to those birds that birders call Spark Birds – the ones that sparked an interest in birding. “After the Spark” covers March through May and speaks to birdsong and migration. “Now What?” moves into summer, studying nesting, courtship, molt and bird conservation. “Inflection Point” corresponds to the last half of summer when most birds aren’t flying because they’re molting (I didn’t know this!) and more time is spent on bird conservation. “What We Know” moves into autumn and covers sources for birders, and “What We Don’t Know” speaks to where we are in our knowledge of birds and what we have yet to learn.

If all this sounds technical, it shouldn’t. Floyd’s writing is very accessible; straightforward, entertaining, and educational at the same time. Each essay is short – one page only. This is the kind of book you can pick up at leisure to read a random essay, or read in chronological order throughout the year.

In each essay, Floyd focuses on some point, using a specific bird to illustrate that lesson. For example, the essay entitled, “How do Nocturnal Migrants Know Where to Go?” concentrates on the Indigo Bunting, who flies mostly at night, and who “learns to recognize the rotation of the night sky around the North Star – and to fly south in the opposite direction.”

Amazing.

Sprinkled throughout the book are pencil illustrations by N. John Schmitt.

If you love birds, want to know more about them, and want to read a book that is entertainingly written, this is for you.

About the author:

Ted Floyd is an internationally recognized birding expert and Editor of Birding magazine, the award-winning flagship publication of the American Birding Association. He has written four books previously, including the Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America. Floyd is a frequent speaker at bird festivals and ornithological society meetings. He and his family live in Lafayette, Colorado.

Good news! I am giving away one copy of How to Know the Birds.

All you have to do, if you are interested, is leave a comment on this post. You cannot leave a comment on the email version of this post. You have to leave a comment here on the blog. I will pick a winner, using the Random Number Generator, on Thursday evening.

Since I have to keep count of comments, I am unable to respond to comments on this post only.

Enjoy!

Happy Monday.

Spring

Books and Reviewing Them

Book Review: How to Know the Birds by Ted Floyd

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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