Booklist: A Boy And His Pet

I love booklists.  I read through every one I come across, though usually only add one or two to our To Read lists.   My oldest daughter has not needed a literature curriculum for a few years.  Instead I give her a list of book suggestions and she reads 20+ books per year "for school" and has her own books that she reads in her spare time. Lately my son has been interested in any books regarding nature, a boy, and adventures with his pet.  Here is my list for him.  He is 8 years old, and dyslexic, so one of us reads these to him or I find the audio book.


Rascal by Sterling North
A boy and his raccoon.  A classic and one of my childhood favorites. According to Mr. North raccoons are clean, intelligent, and need no house training.  Why haven't they replaced cats?

Gentle Ben by
A boy and his bear.  I kept having to remind my son that this was not a true story.  He really wanted it to be.  There were some sad parts involving the death of a beloved character, and references to past tragedies.

Justin Morgan Had A Horse by Marguerite Henry
A boy and the horse he loves.

Summer of The Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
A boy and his dog, and the monkeys who torment them.

Owls In The Family by Farley Mowat
A boy, his friends, and their menagerie of animals including two owls.  A true story. Lovely!

My Side of The Mountain and series by Jean Craighead George
A boy and his perregrine falcon.  Last year my son said these were the books that influenced him the most.  His goal is to live in the wild.

Little Britches and series by Ralph Moody
I love these books, maybe more than my son.  Though he says he likes these more than My Side Of The Mountain.  Ralph doesn't have one specific pet, but he loves horses and in several books he has a favorite horse that he works with.  These books offer so much more about life, values, and family. They are a treasure.

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
A boy and his dream of owning a colt.

Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
A boy, his naturalist instincts, and the swans he admires.  Mostly it's about the swans.  Another childhood favorite.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
I don't need to explain this one.  My son listened to the unabridged audio book, which is so much different than any of the movies.  Next will be "Kim".

Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
This one doesn't feature pets (though they do play a role),  but it's a must read for any budding naturalist.

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Gray Vining
A boy and his dog.  He loses his father and dog and goes on a search to find them both.  Placed in the 12th century.

Old Yeller by
Another classic.  An iconic boy and his dog book.

Rae Lakes Trip Training

This summer my sister and I are planning on taking a 47 mile hike on Rae Lakes.  I'm pretty stoked about this trip.  We've been accumulating gear and I have started my training for the strength and stamina to accomplish this.  The hike is rated "difficult" and honestly, I have no idea what to expect.  I have been a big fan of Zuzka Light for a few years now, and I have been doing her beginner series for the past few weeks.  I already feel stronger.  I also use Fightmaster Yoga.  I think anyone who is looking to get in shape for any activity could start these programs and with consistency will notice a big change in their fitness.  Happy training!

New Piano

I bought a little Yamaha m-500 to work on.  I found it on craigslist for a great deal.  I love how pianos look opened up.  So far I've tuned and regulated a little.  The backstory is sad and sweet.  It involves an elderly couple, sacrifice, music, and cancer taking two lives one month apart.  I hope to give this piano it's voice back and find it another good home.

When You Have No Soil

Here is my garden this year.  I have a few more pots and containers with spinach and tomatoes.  I also planted artichokes again.  I love this climate, but miss having real dirt in my yard.  Notice in the background that everything is either paved or covered with gravel?  Despite this I am thankful that we have fruit trees: two plums.  When the landlord comes by she always takes a few to snack on.  The workers from the apartments behind us will stop to eat the fruit that hang over the fence.  We share more with neighbors and cousins, and we eat plums til we're sick of them.

Entering the Piano World

I've been studying Piano Technology through the Randy Potter School of PianoTechnology, and I'm having a blast.  My piano needed a tuning before I started, and now we have a somewhat in tune piano with some wild notes.  I'm loving every minute of practice.  The kids, not so much.  They have to be quiet and they have to listen to me miss pure unisons over and over, and they can't touch all my beautiful tools.  Piano Technology is the perfect mix of reading and hands on work.  If I don't work with my hands enough, I lose interest quickly.  If I don't learn the science behind what I'm doing, I feel aimless.  This course is the right fit for me and I've finally found what I want to do at the age of 35.

Spring!

Spring is here!  Last week at the park I noticed the pomegranate trees were blooming so I bought two varieties at the farm Market: Eversweet and Ambrosia.  I've never tasted either.
We kept them in pots since we're renting and when we get our land we'll probably build a greenhouse before we build a home.  As of today I also have a lemon tree and a fig.  As of today my trees are my only friends in town.

Ethical Clothes

For the past few years I have been concerned about ethical shopping.  I have always shopped at thrift stores, but have been more dedicated to clothes shopping second hand until I find companies who take steps to ensure that sweatshop workers are being paid and treated fairly.

Here is a series of short documentaries that will give you an idea of some of the conditions of sweatshops in Cambodia.

Sweatshop: What kind of life is this?

The fifth video in the series is the most powerful.  During the first episodes the Norwegian students seem to think that the Cambodian workers are unique in that, "They are used to it."  or "she has hips made of concrete" implying that sleeping on a concrete floor was comfortable for a Cambodian woman but not for them.  I was just as touched to see the changed attitudes of the students as I was to see how hard the Cambodian workers are fighting for their right to a living wage.  This realising that all people are "just like me" is a beautiful thing, no?

Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York touched on this here
in his speech at Harvard's business school.

My search now is to find out what else I can do.  Shopping at thrift stores is fine, but sewing my own clothes is better.  I have a few projects to work on for myself and I hope to share them as I find time to make them.

As I find ethical clothing companies that I would actually shop at, I will share them here.