On Staying Home, or Bird-Watching in the Pandemic
If you had told me prior to 2020 that I would be required to stay at home for fifty straight days, I would have thought that would be impossibly difficult. But to my surprise, when I was really shipwrecked, I found everything I needed—birds to watch, blossoms unfurling, cherries ripening, snails crawling, books to read-aloud, conversations with my fellow castaways, bread to bake. We never made it around to crowning a king or queen, but I’m sure we could have.
Storks in Holland
At the time I read The Wheel on the School I had no idea I’d ever have the chance to visit Holland, but reading it tripled my enjoyment of that day, and I derived so much pleasure seeing the storks and the their babies in the nest and the welcome the Dutch still gave to them as seen by the intentionality of having wheel-shaped tripods near their houses. Now I always think back to this experience when I think of the power of stories to connect us to their settings, especially when we have the opportunity to travel and see the landscapes for ourselves.