nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

“Yet my heart loves December’s smile as much as July’s golden beam; then let us sit and watch the while the blue ice curdling on the stream.” ~ Emily Brontë

1. Hello, December — are you here already? How is that possible? Another year has whizzed by. May as well enjoy all that this chilly, bustling, festive fa-la-la of a month has to offer, from bells to baubles, carols to candlelight!

Care to join me for a sleigh ride past a charming New England B&B? After we’ve crossed the covered bridge, we can duck inside for some hot chocolate. 🙂

Today’s charming winter scenes were created by Wisconsin-based artist-illustrator Elisabeth (“Lis”) Dorrian. You may remember we featured her work back in June, before she moved to the Midwest from Maryland. Lis is self taught, has been drawing since childhood, and works in gouache, acrylics, and digitally for her folk art style pieces.

She’s inspired by slow, seasonal, simple living, hoping her art will inspire others to take time to enjoy life’s little daily miracles. I like escaping to her idyllic depictions of children playing in the snow, families baking cinnamon rolls together, the joy of a wonderful ruff ruff surprise on Christmas morning.

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ginny p. worsley: winsome, warm and welcoming

~ jama ~ 4 Comments

Why, hello! You’re just in time for Sunday Brunch. Take a seat and help yourself to pancakes and milk. Thanks to Ginny P. Worsley’s charming painting, everyone’s welcome to linger for a leisurely meal and friendly conversation.

This piece immediately caught my eye as it speaks to my love of naive art and my special interest in interiors (especially kitchens and dining rooms). If there’s a table set with cute crockery, or vintage textiles and furnishings in a cozy room, I’m all in. I like the calm and comfort of quiet, domestic spaces and appreciate the joys of common experiences depicted with just the right touch of nostalgia.

Tennessee artist Ginny P. Worsley in her home studio.

Imagine my delight when discovering that “Pancakes and Milk” wasn’t a stand alone painting, but a piece from Worsley’s Sunday Brunch Collection! Whether “Cereal & Bananas,” “Oatmeal & Honey,” or “Toast & Tea,” I could just imagine myself stepping into each scene and becoming part of the story. Yes, I have a weakness for floral wallpaper. 🙂

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cheese, glorious cheese!

~ jama ~ 25 Comments 
AMERICAN CHEESE 
by Jim Daniels

At department parties, I eat cheeses
my parents never heard of—gooey 
pale cheeses speaking garbled tongues.
I have acquired a taste, yes, and that's
okay, I tell myself. I grew up in a house
shaded by the factory's clank and clamor.
A house built like a square of sixty-four
American Singles, the ones my mother made lunches
With—for the hungry man who disappeared
into that factory, and five hungry kids.
American Singles. Yellow mustard. Day-old 
Wonder Bread. Not even Swiss, with its mysterious
holes. We were sparrows and starlings
still learning how the blue jay stole our eggs,
our nest eggs. Sixty-four Singles wrapped in wax—
dig your nails in to separate them.

When I come home, I crave—more than any home
cooking—those thin slices in the fridge. I fold
one in half, drop it in my mouth. My mother
can't understand. Doesn't remember me
being a cheese eater, plain like that. 

~ from In Line for the Exterminator. © Wayne State University Press, 2007.

*

via Click Americana

Raise your hand if you grew up with Kraft American Singles — *looks around* — okay, I see that’s most of you. 🙂

photo by J. Kenji López-Alt/Serious Eats

Did your Mom tuck them in your lunchbox sandwiches along with baloney or ham? Did you ever snack on a slice to satisfy between-meal munchies? Remember how your mouth watered as you anticipated that first bite of a juicy grilled burger with melty cheese oozing down the sides? Or best of all, what about the fine art of slowly pulling apart a warm grilled cheese sandwich just to see how far those gooey strings would s-t-r-e-t-c-h?

photo by Ralph Smith/Food Network
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[ravenous review] Attack of the Hangries by Katherine Pryor and Thiago Buzzy

~ jama ~ 7 Comments

It happens to the best of us. Keeping busy, moving through an ordinary day, things seem to be going quite well, when suddenly — out of nowhere — ATTACK!

Instead of our cheery, cooperative (and might I add) cute and cuddly selves, we’re cranky, cantankerous, even a bit CRAZY. Help! What’s going on?!

We’re HANGRY, of course. Hungry + Angry = Hangry. Simple as that. Good thing there’s a brand new picture book all about it. In Attack of the Hangries by Katherine Pryor and Thiago Buzzy (WorthyKids, 2025), we learn what the hangries are, what causes them and how to effectively keep them at bay.

Entertaining, informative, and all too relatable, this belly rumbling tome is powered by Pryor’s lively, engaging prose and Buzzy’s hilarious, high octane cartoons, providing readers with lots to chew on as they consider the science behind hunger and mood.

First off, we’re told the hangries are sneaky. No matter where you are or what you’re doing (home, school, “spelunking in the caves of Quintana Roo”), or whether you’re having a terrible or fantastic day, the hangries can take over.

Your brain scrambles. Your limbs flail. All you want to do is SCREAM! AT EVERYONE! FOR ANYTHING!

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[review] Wisdom of the Woods by Rachel Piercey and Freya Hartas

~ jama ~ 20 Comments

Basil and Cornelius are beary excited about a new children’s poetry book written by UK poet and editor Rachel Piercey. Wisdom of the Woods: 40 Poems to Treasure (Magic Cat Publishing, 2024), is part of the wildly popular Brown Bear Wood series illustrated by Freya Hartas, which includes board books, coloring books, and interactive search-and-find adventure stories written in verse (which we featured here and here).

Readers who enjoy a poetic blend of nature and science will revel in these lyrical gems, as they immerse us in the wonder, joy and magic of Brown Bear Wood. How delightful to spend more time with our friend Bear and his many forest companions — above, below, and on the ground!

This book is actually a special gift to Bear from his Papa:

Dearest Bear,

The time has come, my little cub,
to pass into your paws
the Wisdom of the Woods --
a book of Nature's ancient laws.

It's been with us for many years,
passed down from bear to bear.
And now it's yours to read and use,
to think about and share.

The poems you will find inside
explore our woodland home,
the tiny daily miracles
occurring as we roam,

and how the plants and creatures
work in harmony, to grow.
So turn the page -- you're ready, Bear.
These things are yours to know . . . 

Love, Papa Bear

The winsome rhyming poems are presented in eight sections, taking us from dawn to dusk:

  • Beginnings
  • At Home in the Woodland
  • Among the Trees
  • Woodland Weather
  • Mighty Minibeasts
  • Look Closer
  • So Many Seeds
  • Goodnight, Woodland

Piercey effortlessly incorporates lots of interesting facts in her fun-to-read-aloud verses, everything from seed dispersion and pollination, to metamorphosis and migration, to condensation and photosynthesis. Readers will learn how the natural order of things works, especially with regard to the symbiosis of plants and animals, all the while charmed by lovable Bear and the fascinating creatures who share his cozy woodland habitat.

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