Gardens, Books, and Respite in New York...

Please excuse my absence from blogger-land.  My dear mother-in-law passed away last month, and I honestly haven't had the heart to write much since then.

In order to help my heart heal, last week I made a quick trip to New York to be with my daughter on her birthday.

Grandchildren and gardens are a soothing balm indeed.  I had never seen Central Park in the spring, and knew a stroll through its beautiful landscape would bring some much needed calm and restorative comfort, after days of sorrow and loss.

But before my day in Central Park, I made a trip with my grandchildren to their local library.  It is adjacent to a lovely little park, and tulips lined the walkway to the library entrance.

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. 

~Cicero

Following our stop at the library, we were going to be making our way to a 250-acre urban oasis - the New York Botanical Gardens.  So I was excited to spot two perfect library picture books for the fun afternoon ahead...

1. Alphabet Garden (Preschool-K), written and illustrated by Laura Jane Coats.  (I really want a red wheel barrow like the one on the cover!)

"Walk under the arbor, into the garden.

Listen to the buzzing bees,

and pick a bright carnation." 

School Library Journal says: So begins the alphabet adventure of a blond boy and his cat as they spend the day at work and play, taking notice of the flowers, insects, and other creatures around them. The flat, cheerful pencil and watercolor illustrations portray a pristine garden enclosed by a white wooden fence; not a dead blossom is in sight, and even the dirt from the gopher's hole is piled tidily on an otherwise perfectly green lawn.

2.  The second book that caught my eye was by Mary Azarian - A Gardener's Alphabet.  I love the stunning illustrations in this book!  With her signature woodblock prints, Mary Azarian invites young readers into her own garden to discover its simple joys. Revealing the variety of life underground, the bright comfort of a greenhouse on a winter’s day, or the anticipation of starting seeds indoors in early spring, this striking alphabet book reminds us that gardens are perhaps our best way to live closer to the land and to the rhythm of the seasons.

Imagine our delight when we arrived at the Botanical Gardens and visited the Conservatory - complete with a scene much like the one in the above illustration!  (Tip: if you ever make a visit to the NYBG, the Children's Garden is NOT to be missed!  For spring, there was a caterpillar topiary!  In winter, you'll find it covered in pinecones.)

I ended my visit to New York with my much anticipated afternoon in Central Park...

There was just something about seeing my grandson bounding down the pathway - without a care in the world, looking for Stuart Little with his Mama and searching for Alice - that made me smile.

Like a child, I was living in the moment and experiencing Central Park through his eyes.  And I think his Great Grandma was right there with us!

A Golden Celebration: Sharing My Birthday with Family...and Books!

Well, I celebrated a milestone birthday over the weekend...my "Golden Jubilee"! (Sounds better than turning a half century, huh?)

If a Queen can have a Golden Jubilee, why shouldn't I??  

Wondering how this number snuck up on me so fast, I needed a fun distraction. So on Friday I decided to look up which children's books were "born" in 1963. The list made me quite nostalgic! {I've included the list at the end of my post.}

All in the Golden Afternoon...
Sunday, my lovely daughter planned an outing after church for our family to the L.A. Arboretum (with our little baby grandson in tow).  The meandering pathways and lunch under the flowering trees with the peacocks were unforgettable! 

"Curiouser and curiouser."

"Ever drifting down the stream-
Lingering in the golden gleam -
Life, what is it but a dream?"

"Would you tell me, please," said Alice, a little timidly,
"why are you painting those roses?"

Next we made a stop for ice cream at Mother Moo Creamery in the cute town of Sierra Madre, with a Golden Sunset to send us home...

Thus grew the tale of Wonderland:

Thus slowly, one by one,

Its quaint events were hammered out -

And now the tale is done,

And home we steer, a merry crew,

Beneath the setting sun.

"And what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?"

Take a look at these 16 "vintage" children's books that are also turning 50 this year...Help Max and me wish them Happy Birthday!

Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever

Where the Wild Things Are, Maruice Sendak

Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss

Swimmy, Leo Lionni

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, Robert E. Barry

Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, Donald J. Sobol

Paddington at Large, Michael Bond

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl

Rascal, Sterling North

Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back, Shel Sliverstein

Stormy, Misty's Foal, Marguerite Henry

Time Cat, Lloyd Alexander

Five are Together Again, Enid Blyton

The Mystery of the Bob-White Cave,

and The Mystery of the Blinking Eye (#11 and 12 of the Trixie Belden Mysteries), Kathryn Kenny

I guess 50 isn't so bad after all, and I think 1963 was a pretty good year for children's books! Which were your favorites?

Shamrocks and Daffodills

I know it's almost Spring when I walk into my favorite market, Trader Joe's, and see all their little bunches of daffodils for sale!  It makes me so happy to see the blooms every morning like bright yellow faces greeting me from their vase on our kitchen table, trumpeting, "Winter is over, Spring is coming!"...

Did you know...?

• In the Victorian days, Daffodils represented chivalry.
• Today they represent hope.
• A gift of daffodils is said to ensure happiness.
• Their botanic name is narcissus, but they are sometimes called jonquils; and in England, because of their long association with Lent, they’re known as the “Lent Lily.” 
• Daffodils are the national flower of Wales - traditionally worn on March 1, St. David's Day.

Which brings me to March 17 - another saint's day - St. Patrick's Day, and...Shamrocks!

Fun Facts:

• Did you know that there is no such thing as a "Shamrock Plant"? 
• The word shamrock comes from the Irish word "seamrog" meaning "little clover" 
• Saint Patrick used the plant to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
• Shamrocks have been considered by the Irish as good-luck symbols since earliest times, and this superstition has persisted in modern times among people of many nationalities.
• St Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world, with the "wearin' o' the green".

Every year I've highlighted the same book for St. Patrick's Day (I honestly haven't seen another picture book that I like better about this wonderful saint!)  It's a beautifully written and illustrated book by Zachary Lynch.

Your children will love Zachary's telling of The Life of Saint Patrick, Enlightener of the Irish, published by Conciliar Press. His gorgeous Celtic illuminations bring the story to life, and draw us into the isolated land of a pagan Irish King and his druids. 

Born in Scotland, St. Patrick was captured at the age of 16 and brought to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. During this time, he came to have a deep faith in God, and eventually escaped. After returning home, he became a priest and then a bishop and later went back to Ireland as a missionary, bringing Christianity to its people. He died March 17, 461. 

St. Patrick faced many dangers, but said, "I was not afraid of these things, because of the promise of heaven, because I have thrown myself into God's hands, who reigns over all things."

Make this shamrock potato print - source here

HAWAIIAN MISSIONARIES, FLOWERS, AND QUILTS

Our dear friends who hosted us during our stay on Kaui have quite a family history with Hawaii:  they are descendants (have you seen the movie with George Clooney?) of some of the first missionaries that ventured forth from the East Coast of the United States to the"Sandwich Islands" back in the 1840's!

Dr. James W. Smith (a great-great? grandfather of our friends) was the first Western-trained physician on the island, who arrived as a missionary with his wife, Melicent.  They raised a family while struggling to save a remnant of the Native Hawaiian population from the ravages of Western epidemics, which the Native Hawaiians had no immunity to.

I've been engrossed with their story from the book, 100 Years of Healing: The Legacy of a Kauai Missionary Doctor, researched and written by Evelyn E. Cook.

Missionaries first began arriving in the "Sandwich Islands" in the 1820's, bringing Christianity and some other influences to the Hawaiian culture, including melodic music and...quilts!

Before the missionaries arrived, Hawaiian women had always made bed coverings from kapa, a cloth made from the inner bark of native trees. Strips of this bark were beaten and felted together to make it into a cloth that was smooth and soft to the skin. The top layer of kapa was dyed and stamped with an overall design.  Women of higher status had the leisure time to decorate more extensively.

As cotton fabric became more available with the westernization of Hawaii, it was possible for the missionaries to help the native women create durable and beautiful bed coverings with applique on solid fabric: quilts.  These appliqued quilts had a single design radiating symmetrically from the center covering the whole quilt.  The pattern was made much like we might make a cut paper snowflake, but with fabric.  These traditional Hawaiian quilts were made with only two solid colors, one for the background and one for the appliqued design pattern.


I found a beautiful shop where these two-colored "Hawaiian Quilts" are sold.  And I found a picture book by Georgia Guback about a young Hawaiian girl named Luka, whose "Tutu" (grandmother) wants to make her a special traditional Hawaiian quilt.

Luka's Quilt by Georgia Guback

From the book jacket:  Luka and her grandmother Tutu are best friends. They spend lots of time together and enjoy each other's company. But everything changes when the quilt comes along. The traditional Hawaiian quilt Tutu makes as a gift for Luka isn't at all what her granddaughter expects. Luka is disappointed, Tutu is hurt, and they don't feel like they can be friends anymore. When Lei Day arrives, Tutu suggests putting aside their differences so they can enjoy the festivities. The celebration makes them feel better--and also sparks the compromise that will make Luka and Tutu best friends again. 

I was a little disappointed in the ending, given that the grandmother puts forth such a great effort to make amends, but Luka never apologizes to her about not being grateful for the quilt gift and all the hard work her Tutu had to do in making it.

But the author reveals a lot about the cultural detail of traditional Hawaiian quilts through the beautiful paper cut illustrations.  Luka anticipated a colorful "garden" quilt, and is disappointed that her grandmother has pieced it with only two colors.  I think the book could have greatly benefited from a little more explanation and a historical note about the history of traditional Hawaiian bed covers, "Kapa Moe".

Inspiration for many of the designs on these quilts comes from the natural beauty of flowers and leaf patterns of the Hawaiian Islands.  Here are some of the beautiful flowers that we saw on Kauai and Maui...

I also came across a beautiful vintage flower journal in a little museum we went to.  I would absolutely love to have an old book like this, so that I could frame the color plate pages!

Indigenous Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands
by Isabella McHutcheson Sinclair.

Here's a link to the whole collection here, on Flickr, if you are interested. Isabella Sinclair moved to Hawaii after marriage to her husband in 1863 and engaged herself in collecting botanical specimens, painting watercolor sketches of the plants and preparing a collection that eventually became a book. She documented the authenticity of her 44 colored plates, sending specimens of each plant to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, England.  The director encouraged her to publish her work and assisted her in this when she and her husband came to London in 1885.  Reviewers commented that although Mrs. Sinclair did not profess to be a botanist, she was a keen observer and gifted artist as evidenced not only by her drawings but by the written descriptions that accompany them. -Digitized by Michael B. Thomas. 2008. University of Hawaii, Joseph F. Rock Herbarium.