Melissa Wiley's Blog, page 172

Snippets

• Rose has taken a shine to the Handbook of Nature Study. Mind you, this is a book I have lunged for on a regular basis throughout her entire life, but this week after we read about crows in it, it was like she discovered it for the first time. I found out the next morning that she took it to bed with her and stayed up late reading about turtles and chipmunks. All day yesterday, she was reading me interesting tidbits about squirrels. And she pointed out that while it would certainly be handy ...

From the Archives: A Child's Delight

(Originally posted in September, 2007)

I first heard about this delightful-indeed book from the Deputy Headmistress at The Common Room. A Child's Delight, by Noel Perrin, is a collection of essays about children's books that ought not to be missed. The DHM's review suggested that Perrin's book ought not to be missed, either, so naturally I took her advice. She is, as always, as good as her word.

I loved this little book. Perrin wrote a column on books—"neglected minor masterpieces" is how he ...

Fascinating Live and Dead Things

OK, I am really enchanted by these crows. We had such fun today, watching them at work on a nest in the top of an enormous tree just the other side of our back fence. Our house backs up to an elementary school (I know, ironic) and in the schoolyard quite near the fence is a very large widespread Moreton Bay fig tree. (I think that's what it is.) One crow went back and forth to the tippy-top carrying twigs, while another perched in a supervisory manner in a nearby eucalyptus.

At intervals we'd ...

Cheered by Crows

"The crow when he sings is nothing short of a clown; he ruffles his feathers, stretches his neck, like a cat with a fish bone in her throat, and with a most tremendous effort delivers a series of hen-like squawks."

This quote, attributed simply to a "Mr. Mathews" in the Anna Comstock Handbook of Nature Study, elicited a chorus of giggles from my flock this afternoon, when we encountered it during an hour spent educating ourselves about crows. Beanie, the nine-year-old, especially enjoyed it...

Social Media Posts

Since I seem to be writing a lot about iPod Touch apps and social media lately, here's a roundup page for easy reference.

A day in the life of my iPod Touch (my favorite apps)

A couple more apps

Streamlining the way I use social media

Social networks for book lovers

Facebook—why I love it; how I keep it streamlined

Facebook's privacy settings

5 reasons I love  Twitter

Tips for using Twitter   (these last four are part of a series at Faith & Family Live; that last one is coming tomorrow)

And lest you t...

Got My Number

We're heading into wildflower season here in San Diego. (I hardly dare admit this you you northeastern folks.) Admiring the orange and yellow roadsides from the backseat of the minivan, Rose says, "Mom, I want to know more about plants and birds."

Me: "OK, we can start doing more nature walks again and work on our nature journals."

Rilla pipes up: "Mommy, I want to know more about princesses and princes getting married."

Me, suppressing a laugh: "OK, let's read more fairy tales at home!"

Beanie, ...

YA, TBR, and CBOAS*

• Young adult lit comes of age – latimes.com — "I think part of the reason we're seeing adults reading YA is that often there's no bones made about the fact that a YA book is explicitly intended to entertain," said Lizzie Skurnick, 36, author of "Shelf Discovery," a collection of essays about young adult literature from the 1960s and 1970s."YA authors are able to take themselves less seriously. They're able to have a little more fun, and they're less confined by this idea of themselves as...

Social Media Guest Blogging

Hey, I'm a social media maven—who knew?

Danielle Bean asked me to spend the week guest-blogging at Faith & Family Live, talking about my favorite social networks and how I use them without letting them drive me crazy.

First up: How to streamline your Facebook experience. Tomorrow: Facebook's privacy settings. Later in the week I'll tackle Twitter and other social networks.

"Sometimes I think p'raps I'm a bird": Naturalists in Literature

"Charles could entertain himself for hours just by thinking, or by observing birds, or watching sticks and leaves float down a stream. He made notes as he watched the birds, writing down what they did, how they behaved. And like many young boys, he was a collector. He collected shells, seals, coins, and minerals. He studied them and organized them in kind—in the tradition of natural historians."

—from Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

This passage about the...

My Own Personal Cabbage Patch Doll

Photo by: Murray Brannon

I have shamelessly lifted this picture off my dad's Flickr page. I mean, how could I not?

Whoops, I did it again. Sorry, Dad. Some things just can't be helped.