farm life – Polilla Writes

I like to be spontaneous once in awhile. For me it’s freeing and empowering to break out of routine and schedules – within reason, of course – and do something I don’t get the chance to do very much.

One day in late summer one of my daughters and I got together for an outing. We drove to a few local communities and shopped at second-hand clothing stores for the variety and low prices, and the fun of digging through bins to find that ‘just right’ item. We also discovered a few yard sales along the way so had to stop! That’s always fun. At most of our stops we purchased a few things.

I enjoy the zoo. It’s interesting, funny, noisy, entertaining, smelly, and that’s just the people! 😉 haha Ever wonder what the animals think of us gawking at them through the bars and fences?

As we were in a moment of ‘where should we go now?’ I suddenly had this idea: “I’d like to go to the zoo, I haven’t been there for so long … let’s go to the zoo!” Here in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia is Oaklawn Farm Zoo, and we weren’t far from it. Of course we went there! Today I will give you this link, and this one, then maybe another time I’ll direct you to another which has a lovely write-up about it.

Below are some photos I took while there with my daughter that day.

These are four new little baby pigs born in one of the barns. On the left there are three, see the tiny white/pink one half hidden? On the right is momma with one of her babies running around. So cute and comical.

This next one is the photo I’ve longed to capture. It’s not perfect but it is one of those awwww shots. Two black swans, their lovely long necks shaping a heart.

What do you enjoy doing to change things up a bit and get out of the house?

PS: It’s day 25 in PiBoIdMo, and while writing this post I came up with idea #49!

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Book: Audrey (Cow)
Author: Dan Bar-El
Illustrator: Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Publisher: Tundra Books
Date: November 11, 2014
Genre: children's fiction; 
action & adventure; animals 
Pages: 240
Price: hardcover $19.99 US, 
$21.99 CDN;
kindle $10.63 US, $11.99 CDN
My Rating: Entertaining, 
wonderfully uniquely told story 
of determination and friendship
in the face of challenges

I received this book from Library Thing in exchange for my honest review.

Audrey (Cow), by Canadian award-winning children’s author Dan Bar-El, is an entertaining children’s book that adults will want an excuse to read.

The first things you will notice about this book is its size, hard cover, and great illustrations. It’s built like a novel with large print, the illustrations by Tatyana Mai-Wyss are delightful – in colour on the jacket, black and white throughout the book – and its first recommendation is by Doris the deer. Yes, a deer.

Interested? It is an unusual approach and carries the story all the way through.

It seems in real life there was a cow in Ohio that escaped the slaughterhouse in Ohio in 2002. Her experience inspired Dan Bar-El to write the story of Audrey (Cow).

Audrey enjoyed her life on the farm with her mother and many animal friends. The one thing she dreaded was the big truck that would arrive every so often onto which would be loaded a few select cows. They would never return. Everyone knew what happened. Her own mother was taken that way. Audrey was determined to not end up the same way when she was grown and set about to devise a plan of escape, enlisting the help of her animal friends.

Audrey (Cow) is an amusing story told from the viewpoints of the animal characters through interviews. Each has its own individual personality, opinion, and contribution to the escapade. There even are humans unwittingly used to help.

Audrey (Cow) reads like a mild thriller and is a great adventure story. It’s a safe read for children, holds one’s attention, and gives the reader a sense of satisfaction.

As I said, Audrey (Cow) is an entertaining children’s book that adults will want an excuse to read. No children to read it to? Never mind the excuse; read it anyway!

You can find Audrey (Cow) on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂