Tag Archives: nature

Book Review: Tadeo Turtle – by Janis Cox

Posted on March 14, 2017 | 4 comments

Book: Tadeo Turtle
Author/Illustrator: Janis Cox
Publisher: Word Alive Press
Date: 2012
Genre: Children's picture book; ages 2-6
Pages: 24
Price: $12.25, paperback
My rating: A lovely book encouraging children to 
accept themselves

I won this book and agreed to write my honest review of it.

Tadeo Turtle by Janis Cox (Canadian author and retired school teacher) is an engaging story about a turtle not satisfied with how he was made. He didn’t know the Scripture (quoted at the beginning of the book) from Psalm 139:13-14 that can be applied, in part, to his situation – “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.” – New Living Translation

Tadeo (pronounced TAD-ay-OH) was a cheerful little painted turtle who loved to play. One day he met a squirrel who could run up trees, and Tadeo became sad because he couldn’t do that. Tadeo wished he didn’t have a shell that he thought was a hindrance to him.

One night he dreamed that he was free of his shell so that he could run and climb, too. Tadeo was happy about that until a cat spied him and thought he was a rat. Poor Tadeo. He tried to hide among the rocks, and then found one that smelled like home. It was his shell that looked like a rock! It was then that Tadeo realized how safe he was inside his shell, just as God intended.

This is a fun story in rhyme. The rhyme doesn’t quite make the cut in some places, but it’s not enough to throw the reader out of the story. Janis Cox illustrated her story beautifully. I especially like the face of the cat, and the colours Janis chose throughout the story are very pleasing to the eye.

Isn’t this beautiful? I’m showing this image by permission of Janis Cox, the author/illustrator.

At the back of the book, the author included an activities section with instructions for children on how to make a paper plate turtle, a dough turtle, a rock turtle, and a felt board with pieces to make a turtle, rocks, and water. The author has not left her teaching experience behind as this book is a great tool in a classroom.

Janis Cox also included a research page with links to how to learn more about different turtles, and other interesting information. Tadeo Turtle is a book children will enjoy.

You can find Tadeo Turtle by Janis Cox on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.Indigo, and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

4 Comments

Posted in Mostly About Reading, Reviews & Interviews

Tagged accepting oneself, Book review, Canadian author, children's picture book, God, Janis Cox author, nature, painted turtle, science, Tadeo Turtle

The Supermoon

Posted on November 14, 2016 | 2 comments

This is a reprint of an article I found today. Unfortunately, I forgot about the supermoon so missed a look this morning, but tonight should still be a good opportunity. Apparently, our last chance to see the supermoon of this year -and not again until 2034 – will be December 14.

SUPERMOON

An Extraordinary Sight

The supermoon will look especially big because it’s so close to Earth at the moment it reaches its fullest point. Share this sight with someone special, because we won’t see a supermoon this close until 2034.

About the Supermoon

From NASA

NASA/Bill Ingalls

The moon is a familiar sight in our sky, brightening dark nights and reminding us of space exploration, past and present. But the upcoming supermoon—on Monday, Nov. 14—will be especially ‘super’ since it’s the closest full moon to Earth since 1948. We won’t see another supermoon like this until 2034.

The moon’s orbit around the Earth is slightly elliptical, so sometimes the moon is closer and sometimes it’s farther away. When the moon is full as it makes its closest pass to Earth it is known as a supermoon. At perigree—the point at which the moon is closest to Earth—the moon can be as much as 14 percent closer to Earth than at apogee, when the moon is farthest from our planet. The full moon appears that much larger in diameter and 30 percent brighter. The biggest and brightest moon for observers in the United States will be on Monday morning just before dawn.

You can also check here for more information.

Did you happen to witness the supermoon of 1948? Did you see it today?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

2 Comments

Posted in Miscellanea

Tagged moon, moon closest to the earth, moon's orbit, NASA, natural phenomena, nature, supermoon

Change

Posted on November 4, 2015 | 8 comments

Let’s talk about CHANGE.This is my lawn now. It’s covered in a blanket of beautiful leaves; yellow, orange, red, rusty-coloured. Those leaves once were various shades of green and hanging on the many trees we have, and many we don’t! The wind can do amazing decorating … and borrowing! 🙂

It was a frosty morning, and this maple leaf was etched in frost …

as were all the tiny leafy things all over the lawn.

The chill and frost made leaves curl and at the same time emphasized their delicate uniqueness.

As air temperature changed, so did the condition of anything in the sun. You can see the frost turned to droplets of water.

I’m always impressed by the exquisite detail found in the simplest of things. How often do we overlook the subtleties and miss the beauty found there?

CHANGE. How do you handle it? Do you welcome it into your life? Or, do you dread change and resist it as long as possible?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

8 Comments

Posted in Miscellanea

Tagged Autumn leaves, beauty of nature, blanket of leaves, change, Fall temperatures, frost, nature

Book Review: The Story of Gar – by Syr Ruus

Posted on May 7, 2015 | 3 comments


Book: The Story of Gar
Author: Syr Ruus
Publisher: etc. Press Ltd., 
Canada
Date: 2014
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 166
Price: $20.00
My Rating: A fascinating story 
that's different and sweetly 
memorable

I was delighted to be gifted a copy of The Story of Gar by Syr Ruus. Having read both of her first two novels – Lovesongs of Emmanuel Taggart and Devil’s Hump – which I have also reviewed here, I was eager to find out what marvellous tale the author had written this time. I was not disappointed.

The Story of Gar is about a young mother looking for a new home for herself and her three small children, a man who is alone and likes it that way, a family of crows also uprooted from their home. We are given the interesting view of life seen mostly from the perspective of one young crow in particular. At first notion it may seem a curious plot, however, you really should read this book! Syr Ruus has woven a story that pulls the reader in, holds one’s attention, and thrills with her storytelling.

This book is really about relationships and interactions – people with people, people with nature. The young family is needing a new life, and the man who helps them finds his life changing – for the better – because of them. His gift to them brings a whole new dimension to everyone’s life.

The Story of Gar is a novel that a young person would enjoy. There are a couple of tastefully handled places more for mature readers, small sections that can easily be skipped over and not ruin the story should a parent/guardian prefer the younger reader not read them.

A portion of this novel was awarded the Joyce Barkhouse Award by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia.

The Story of Gar was shortlisted in the Ken Klonsky Novella Contest (Quattro Books, Toronto.)

If you want to read this book it can be obtained directly from the author. Please write to her at: syr(at)eastlink(dot)ca

You can find The Story of Gar listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

3 Comments

Posted in Mostly About Reading, Reviews & Interviews

Tagged animal rescue, Book review, crows, fiction, nature, Novel, relationships, Syr Ruus, The Story of Gar

Skipping rocks – a fun video

Posted on October 21, 2014 | 3 comments

I was talking with a friend about how sometimes similar things happen close together in unusually high numbers. What we were discussing was deaths of people we know. In my circle of family and friends there have been several since my aunt’s passing (age 75) in February — one in June (in his 80’s), one in August (age 97), one in September (in his 80’s) the same day my dad had his heart attack, and three deaths this month – a cousin in his 80’s, a former neighbour age 66, and a cousin age 65. Dad has recovered well from the heart attack, by the way, and attended five of those funerals, the last being three in ten days!

I am glad for the wedding I mentioned in my last post; it was a lovely lift after so many losses. It was a sweet, touching, meaningful event, emotional for the bride and groom … and, of course, for sappy me, and a few others. The bonus was the weather. Friday we got a lot of rain, Sunday we got cool wind and some rain showers, but Saturday … Saturday was so warm and beautiful for an October outdoor wedding at an inn by the bay. It was a day much like my husband’s and my wedding day in late October many years ago, even a little warmer. Often by the end of the month it is cold, maybe even snow flurries, but there are the occasional Autumns that have remarkable weather. Since the wedding on Saturday the temperature has turned and rain is expected for much of this week, so that day was such a blessing – in many ways.

Now on to other things. Today in place of a book review I want to share something I found that is so cool and enjoyable. Have you ever skipped rocks on a lake or pond? Have you really listened? How about when the water was frozen? Check out this video; it’s remarkable and amusing.

I have tried to skip rocks, but I can’t say I’m very good at it, not like my husband. It takes several tries for me to get it right. How about you? Have you skipped rocks? What’s been your best rock skipping record?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

3 Comments

Posted in Miscellanea

Tagged Alaska, death, family, frozen water, funeral, nature, October, skipping rocks, skipping rocks on water, wedding

Wildlife out my window; reminder of chance to win a book

Posted on March 11, 2014 | 2 comments

First I want to remind you to enter the draw, if you haven’t already, for a paper copy of the book by Erik Weibel. The Adventures of Tomato and Pea is a good one for that special child in your life.

Now I want to tell you about something fun. Today I glanced out the window and was surprised and delighted to see a young deer! She was making her way through the snow on the far side of Dad’s lawn, following the brook to the back of the property. Upon reaching a bend in the brook she stepped in and took a long drink of cold water. Having enough, she raised her head, looked around and crossed the stream to climb the hill on the other side. Soon after the deer had ventured by, a cock pheasant hurried along the brook and also made his way up the hill.

It’s always interesting here at my dad’s. One never knows what will appear in the brook or on the lawn, at or near the feeders, or just passing through. Besides deer and cock pheasants and their hens we have watched ducks, a fox, raccoons, hawks, many other birds including cardinals, a kingfisher, and grey herons.

The images I’m including were not taken from today’s sightings, but they are my own pictures. The first photo is one I took of a young deer in my own driveway one winter. The others were taken at Dad’s last summer.

I just wanted to share this since I hadn’t been able to post over the weekend.

A final memory jog … the draw for The Adventures of Tomato and Pea is tonight, Tuesday, March 11 at 6:00 EST. Please encourage a new author and leave a comment on the interview.

What wonderful sightings have you had this season?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

2 Comments

Posted in Miscellanea, Preambles to Writing

Tagged birds, deer, Erik Weibel, nature, pictures, The Adventures of Tomato and Pea, wildlife, win a book

Saving lives

Posted on June 21, 2013 | 15 comments

My sincere apologies for not posting lately. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed and a lot tired. I do have a little story to tell you today, though.

A few weeks ago I went along with my daughter and young grandson to the magnificent performance of Beauty and the Beast. It was a wonderfully executed musical with excellence in the acting, dancing, singing, sets, costuming, lighting … and everything I may have missed mentioning. (My only complaint was regarding the small restless child seated behind me who whined, kicked my seat and somehow managed to kick me a few times over the top of my seat. Fortunately that didn’t last.)

At first my grandson didn’t seem all that impressed when it began with a short narrative, but once the ‘show’ got underway he didn’t move his attention from the stage. It was that good.

If you know the story of Beauty and the Beast, you know Belle’s love is what saved the Beast so after he died he again lived to become who he really was. (Reminds me of the Christian experience of grace.)

The ending of this live performance got to me; it was so beautifully done in such a touching way. I confessed to my daughter afterward, “I got tears in my eyes at the end.” She replied, “Me too! I was thinking don’t look at me!” 🙂

Now you may be wondering about the title of this post … Saving lives. It was on the way home we got to be part of another dramatic live-saving adventure.

Part of our hour-long drive from the city to home is on a divided highway, three lanes both ways. As we drove along we noticed traffic in our lane was slowing a little and pulling out around something. My daughter was driving and suddenly exclaimed, “A mother duck and her babies!” On our left side – which was next to the median – there was a duck and her nine ducklings, waddling along in the same direction as the traffic. She obviously wanted to get up over the median, then would change her mind, and instead move into traffic in our lane. Her babies were staying very close to her, except for one little fellow that literally fell behind. It toppled over, got up again, and waddled even faster to catch up. So cute, and very stressful for us watching and worrying about them getting run over.

My daughter pulled on her four-ways (emergency signal lights) and slowed since they were then right in front of us. Eventually all traffic in our three lanes came to a stop, and a man in a van two lanes over, and I, got out to direct the duck family across all three lanes to a ditch. A second man from another vehicle joined us so they could not go off in the wrong direction.

I told my grandson the mother duck could have flown up over the median but her babies couldn’t fly yet and she wouldn’t leave them. It was quite an example of dedication for him to witness.

The duck rescue was a stressful, exhilarating, satisfying experience. When I told my husband about it later he said if the police had come along I could have been ticketed for stopping traffic on a main series highway. If that is true then I would not have been the only one. (Please don’t tell on me. 😉 )

I checked on YouTube and found many similar incidences, but they were captured on video whereas we didn’t even get pictures. Oh well, you will just have to believe me.

I did find this video that will take your breath away, as must have happened to this unfortunate – or fortunate, depending on how you look at it – family of ducks. (I hope the video works for you.)