A great novel is a kind of conversion experience. We come away from it changed. — Katherine Paterson, Gates of Excellence
Looking for a little whimsy,
a bit of charm,
and a bushel of inspiration?
Feast your eyes on the fantastic felt work of Salley Mavor …
Salley, an accomplished fiber artist and author living in Falmouth, Massachusetts, says she has always been fascinated with “little things” and needlework.
“Manipulating materials in my hands with a needle and thread was so much more satisfying than …
Have you read the book-now-turned-movie, Life of Pi? A few years ago, it was one of my favorites. It’s about a 16-year-old Indian boy’s passage to start a new life in America aboard a freighter that shipwrecks in the Pacific. (He’s traveling with his family to move their zoo to another country.) He manages to secure himself on a life raft … but with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger. (You’ll have to read the book or see the movie to see how it ends.)
It seems a bit like this story I found on the Helped by Animals Facebook page featuring INCREDIBLE inter-species relationships that are formed when one (usually young and helpless) animal is put in life or death circumstances. (Make sure you visit their page because the photos and stories will warm your heart to its very core.)
This one below is udderly amazing. Not only does a predator quit being a predator, but its prey quits being afraid and in fact shows the predator care and love.
Winnie Nielsen says: Gosh, this is so amazing and heart warming. I think it shows how we do not fully understand animals and their connections to other forms of life. It is stories like this that remind me about trying harder to be a vegetarian.
I can take a hint … especially from my mother.
It’s not that I am uninterested or even disinterested. I do not lack the interest and I am not impartial.
I might say she has alluded to my grammar skills a few times. She has said as much in a round-about style. Then again, she has simply referred to these skills as needing some improvement. Yup, she has directly mentioned it, come to think of it!
Well, it is probably high time I hone my grammar skills, now that we’ve homed in on the problem! Time to sharpen my skills now that we’ve zeroed in on the reason why. 🙂
I have simply not owned Woe is I, The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. From the Mixed Doubles section (note the italics above) to the Blunders with Numbers, it’s all written in a way I can understand. So, I might actually be able to put some of these useful lessons to use.
Terry Steinmetz says: At least it is your mother “sharing” with you about honing your grammar. It is my daughter with a masters degree in English that “shares” about my grammar! One Christmas, she even rewrote my Christmas letter to which I received many letters back from friends telling me that it wasn’t “my style”,so who wrote the letter! All done with love.
Megan says: Haha! I love it! 🙂
What a nice early Christmas present from your mom Meg! 🙂 LOL
I could use a copy too! 🙂
Hugs,
Deb
Winnie Nielsen says: Meg, don’t despair! I could use a copy myself and actually I welcome some help because I know I have gotten sloppy in my writing over the years. I have noticed that I lack variety in adjectives and words in general. I can only imagine all of my grammar errors . Ohvey.
Megan says: Me too, Winnie, me too. Good news is I’m not judging! 😉
A couple of years ago, I picked up a book in an airport Starbucks called A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. It isn’t a book you can casually read. I was consumed by it.
Terry Steinmetz says: Thanks for the information. I will pass it on!
Winnie Nielsen says: We have no idea what struggles others face without these “warriors” for peace. It is indeed humbling and disturbing that this happens today in 2012!
Over the river, and through the wood
To _____________ we go!
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.
Photo courtesy of Gnadenalm via Wikimedia Commons
Eileen Stone says: Wow! Thanks!
Lou says: A Handsome Rambo Boy!
Elizabeth says: My husband liked the movie with the “Red Dog[‘s]” so much that I’m halfway expecting him to come home with one anytime now….
Rebecca says: I know you posted this picture last month but wow she/he is soooo pretty!!! May I ask what her/his name is? Thanks Mary Jane!
MaryJane says: This is Nutmeg. She’s our miniature horse. A palomino.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
How wonderful this sounds. It is not a medium I have tried. Maybe I will this winter. Thanks for spotlighting Sally’s work.
How does she do such intricate work? Simply beautiful and fascinating. A true artist!
Thank you for introducing us to this artist. Being a hand-quilter I always enjoy fabric art especially if handwork is involved. I will be looking for Sally’s work.
How beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing.
I love the attention to detail. What fabulous work!