Views From the Pond- March/April

Over the last year and a half I have moved to a new house (it was quite a process). One of my favorite things about my new space is the small pond in the front yard. Although it wasn't on my list of things I "needed" when I was house hunting, it turns out it was something I needed in my life. 

Depending on the season, there is a house or two visible in the distance, as the pond is close to my street (which is very quiet most of the time). If I sit on my front porch I can see and hear the pond and the babbling brook that feeds into it. There is also space close to the pond to sit and relax. Over the last year I have watched the daily changes and have marveled in the animals that come to visit. In the evening, the sounds of crickets and frogs mingling with owls and other night creatures creates a symphony that changes daily. 

I decided to share my views with all of you- so this is the first of a new regular monthly feature on Fairday's Blog. 

These pictures are all from this past March and April. I love the Mallard ducks that visit most days! I talk to them and call them Lord and Lady Quackerly.  Some mornings it is hard to leave for work because there is so much to observe at home. You will notice algae in some pictures, and that is a new addition. There wasn't even a trace of algae in the pond until after the pond came back from a drought we had last summer/fall (it lasted for about 3 months and the pond became a puddle). 

This post contains a lot of pictures because I am sharing two months of Views From the Pond instead of one. It is amazing to see how much the pond changes each day, and the view is so therapeutic. The first picture is from the morning of  March 1st and the last is from the last weekend in April. I have SO been enjoying watching my Magnolia tree bloom. 

I hope you enjoy the views as much as I do! Nature changing and coming alive is pure magic to witness.  ~Stephanie

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday # MMGM Book Review: Unicorn Island: Beyond the Portal by Donna Galanti

 

In the final book in this series, Sam is tying to distract herself now that she knows her mother disappeared through a portal on Unicorn Island ten years ago. Could her mother still be alive? It’s consuming all her thoughts, so she decides to learn everything she can about her new role as a unicorn protector. With the help of her friend, Tuck, she explores a book and uncovers a hidden code, explaining more about the portal. Sam and Tuck know going through the portal would be extremely dangerous, and they also know neither of their parents would allow it. But, they can’t resist the urge to find out more. How else will they know if Sam‘s mother is still alive. They decide to go through the portal, with Barloc (a unicorn) as their guide. They all know it is dangerous to bring a unicorn through the portal, because the portal was created years ago to save the unicorns who were being hunted in another world. What if they are still being hunted today? Is Sam‘s mother still alive, and if she is will they even be able to find her? Once they go through the portal will they be able to get back? 

It’s always a good feeling when the final book in a series or trilogy wraps everything up. Unicorn Island: Beyond the Portal does just that! I was so happy that all my questions were answered by the end of the story. I liked seeing the way Sam grew as a character from when we first met her. I’m glad she has such a good friend in Tuck. They help each other come to conclusions and decisions, each bringing something different to their friendship. This book will be a huge hit with anyone who likes unicorns, adventures, or other worlds. I would recommend this book to kids in second grade and up. I think it’s awesome that the series can be found online on Epic Books for kids and it’s available in hardcover. My copy is beautiful, and I love the illustrations. They are bright and colorful! Having them periodically throughout the book was an additional treat to look forward to while I was reading. The three books in this series have been a fun adventure! Although this series may be over, I’m looking forward to the next book by Donna Galanti.

Has anyone else read Unicorn Island: Beyond the Portal? Or have you read another book by Donna Galanti? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Reading!

L

Our review of Unicorn Island Book 2

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.

Fishy Perspectives and Mood Candles: Jess's Musings

I have a fish, his name is Mr. Fish, and he lives in a tank in the middle of my house. Mr. Fish is eleven years old, and he can communicate with me. For instance, if something is off in his tank, he swims as hard as he can and smashes into the glass. It scares the wits out of me, and I check to make sure he's okay. Message received. 

Sometimes it's super nice to shift into low gear and take in the scene. I think of Mr. Fish, and what his daily life must be like. How strange it would be to experience things from his point of view. 🐟

Contemplating perspectives is interesting, and when you relax into the moment and let your mind wander it's easy to get swept up in imagination. Magic lives in details; you must slow down for the experience. 

So feel into your mood and flow with the good vibrations resonating right now. Take a pause to reflect and dream. 

I'll light a mood candle to raise spirits.🕯✨

Mood Candle Art: Raising Spirits 

Mood Candle Art is created with glass jars, acrylic paint, tea lights

Cuteness!

Colors Dancing in MIND

Cheers to a New Year!

It's hard to believe that we are about to start 2023. Our blog is going on 12 years! New beginnings make us think and reevaluate. We love all the people we have connected with through our blog and visiting blogs is always fun. There will be some changes here, but some things will remain the same.  

As we pause and reflect, we want to take the time to wish all of you a Happy New Year! May the year ahead be filled with all the things that make you happy.  😀🎊

Step Into a Mystery this Season...

 

Stories stir our spirits and ignite our bones, so step into a mystery this season! Books are delicious to a bookworm, and if you have a hungry one that you love, it's important to keep them well fed. If your bookworm happens to love a good mystery, give them a bite of the Begonia House. The suspense will fill them to the brim. 👀

Signed books make magical gifts! ✨

Jess and Stephanie will be at Barnes and Noble in Waterbury, CT signing copies of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow and Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library on Saturday 12/3 at 2pm. Grab a signed book bundle and cozy up with a good mystery this season.

Jess Haight & Stephanie Robinson

The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow (Book 1) Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library (Book 2) Middle grade mystery books for ages 8 and up Eleven year old Fairday Morrow moves from Manhattan to a small town in Connecticut where her parents have bought a big, spooky, crumbling Victorian manor called the Begonia House. They want to turn it into a bed and breakfast, but after Fairday moves in strange occurrences start happening, and she finds out that an unsolved mystery had taken place in her new home. Fairday and her friends in the Detective Mystery Squad, Lizzy and Marcus, are on the case. The three sleuths try to sort out what happened in the Begonia House.

The first mystery wraps up, but Fairday soon finds out that her house is hiding many more secrets. After she receives a worrisome note from a mysterious librarian warning that a bookworm is eating words in stories, the DMS opens the next investigation. They stumble through a magical portal that transports them to the Talking Library, where books come alive and story magic abounds. Find out what happens when Fairday and her friends uncover fantastical clues and put the pieces of this intriguing puzzle together.

Fear not the unexpected. Truth lies betwixt the lines.

The Riddle of the Stone...

Hello, Riddlers! Jess here. I've been plotting ideas, making connections for story crafting, and this new piece presented itself. A creative play with art and words, inspired by the ineffable space where we allow our stories to unfold. 

Fear not the unexpected. Truth lies betwixt the lines. 

DISASTERPIECE

The world had gone mad with stories, so I examined my own. Hum drum of days, in and out. Like breathing. Dew shimmies on leaves; chomping caterpillars hungry for greens. Bees buzz around while I paint my heart, watching colors cover nothing— no thing is the stickiest glue. Truth lies betwixt the lines, and in between those squiggly lines there is emptiness— that’s the truth; the strong force binding story flavor. So subtle, yet powerful. The liminal essence of creation scattered amongst the stars in a vast sea of space. History and Herstory forever smashing together in little bursts of light— lingering like ghosts in the dark. Memories swim asunder in endless pools of thought. A disasterpiece transformed into a masterpiece simply by the love of hearing the other— or vice versa.

The Riddle of the Stone

There was once a stone that knew who it was.

The stone remembered the story.

The story had a beginning, middle and end@beginning, middle, and end@beginning, middle, and end@...

The beginning was new.

The middle unwound.

And the end was known. 

Who is the stone?

Only you know the answer to this riddle. 😀