Lots of Helpers

Our family's life in New Zealand

Big River? Not Today!

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A couple of weeks ago, the boys took some friends who were visiting on a four wheel drive trip up the Big River track. They decided to do an easy track this time so they wouldn’t break anything. They got a short distance up the track, and found a washout. That took some time, while they jacked up the back corner of each truck and put rocks under. They kept going; about halfway to the end, they came to a tree across the track. They had failed to take chain saws along, but had an axe and a hatchet, so they attacked the tree with that. Once they had gotten through the tree (best guess is that it was a red birch; it was extremely hard wood), they pulled it off the track with a strap. In doing that, one of the trucks nearly went over the cliff–see the last several seconds of the second video. I’m glad I wasn’t there. They pulled the truck back up, and turned around to go home. They got here just before dark!

Book Review–The Bible Companion Book Isaiah-Daniel

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About the Book:

Book: The Bible Companion Book 8 Isaiah-Daniel

Author: Karen Westbrook Moderow

Genre: Non-Fiction, Bible Study

Release Date: December, 2025Are you or someone you love on the wrong path?

The Bible Companion Book 8 Isaiah–Daniel helps us see both warning and hope in the messages of the prophets. A simple one-chapter-a-day format lets you engage with Scripture without the pressure of schedules, homework, or heavy reading loads. Short daily readings and thought-provoking questions connect your story to God’s Word. For personal, group, or homeschool Bible study.

The Major Prophets give us perspectives of judgment that challenge our lifestyles and understanding of God. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel help us see the Lord at work in dark times. Whether you are suffering the consequences of your own sin or caught in the fallout of the choices of others, The Bible Companion Book 8 points you toward a sovereign God whose power redeems tragedies and transforms them into new beginnings.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book, as I have the other books in this series. I like reading a chapter or two from the Bible, and then reading this author’s notes about that chapter. A few things stood out to me especially; in the commentary for Isaiah 6, where God calls Isaiah to the ministry, the author has noted that every believer receives such a calling, in some measure. Then, in Isaiah 45, where a prophecy mentions Cyrus the Persian by name, the author notes that, when God uses nonbelievers to do His work, we can’t base our support of them on their attitudes or actions—only on His righteousness. I also really appreciate the informational tables that are sprinkled throughout the book, organizing information in a very accessible way. There are tables comparing the prophets and their work, a table listing all the kings of both Israel and Judah, and one showing world events at the time. These are very helpful.

There were a couple of statements that pulled me up short, however. In one place, the statement is made that Assyria made Babylon her capital. That may be true—but I never caught that anywhere else. Also, in a note after Isaiah 39, the author suggests that two different men may have written the book of Isaiah. Otherwise, I appreciated everything I read.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

KAREN WESTBROOK MODEROW is a Bible teacher and author who brings a storyteller’s perspective to Scripture. She holds master’s degrees in theology and creative writing and loves introducing others to Jesus through the stories told in God’s Word.

More from Karen:

In 1997 the car my 18-year-old son Michael and four other teenagers were riding in flipped on a country road. Mike suffered a permanent traumatic brain injury. Before that night, we already knew he was in trouble. He’d been in rehab. Through his program, I’d received an education in drugs and alcohol that opened my naive eyes (and nose) to substances I’d had no experience with. Pot was the least of Mike’s problems but the pungent odor from the water pipe he used to smoke it—a bong—would permeate his clothes and tip me off that he had broken house rules once again. In a sad attempt at humor in those dark days, I became so sensitive to the smell of marijuana that I could probably tell you what country it came from. I hated the stench but more than that, I hated what it told me—that Mike didn’t respect us or the boundaries we’d set to protect him, that he was headed for tragedy, and we were powerless to stop him.

This is probably how the prophets felt as they watched their beloved nations of Israel and Judah rebel against the Lord. The people in these kingdoms blatantly disregarded the laws God gave for their protection. They embraced lifestyles that brought shame to His name and His house. God warned that the path they were on would lead to famine, war, disease, and deportation but they ignored Him even though He described judgment in detail. He named names, times, places. To no avail.

Would Mike have changed his ways if I had been able to see into the future and describe the car accident, the excruciating physical rehab, the permanent mental and physical impairments, and the loneliness he would suffer? Probably not. At least that is what he tells me. (He has given me permission to share his story.) So why wouldn’t he listen? The prophets tell us that sin blinds people to the consequences of their actions.

So, if sinners cannot take the truth to heart, why did God give us the books of prophecy? Second Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” There’s always a chance someone will listen. Pain gets the attention of saint and sinner alike. The prophetic books do warn those on the wrong path, but they also encourage godly people who are caught up in the judgment of the wicked. Anyone who lost a loved one to addiction or drained family resources to give someone a chance at a new life knows what I mean.

Mike required 24-hour care after he was discharged from the hospital. My husband Joe and I built an apartment in our walk-out basement for him. Mike had a caregiver during the day. My younger son David (a high-school junior), my husband Joe and I shared duties at night. We had no elevator. We could walk down the stairs to Mike but for him to join us on the upper level required pushing him up a steep ramp outside. Having dinner together took monumental effort. In winter, it meant dressing Mike warmly then one of us had to don a heavy coat, hat, and gloves, and roll him up the ramp. After dinner, we’d reverse the process. One night I decided to fix my signature spaghetti dinner and serve it downstairs, thinking it might be a better solution.

It was a disaster from beginning to end.

Joe and David were not home yet, and Mike’s caregiver was gone for the day. I was on my own. As I wore myself out with multiple trips up and down the stairs—setting the table, bringing down salad, bread, and drinks—the spaghetti sauce burned. I felt sick looking at the charred flecks bubbling up through the gravy that I had nursed for over three hours. Still, I refused to give up. I ladled sauce over hot pasta and hoped for the best. At last, the family gathered around the small table downstairs, held hands, and gave thanks.

David took the first bite then sat straight up. “Mom,” he said, “what’s up with the spaghetti? It tastes like bong water!” Michael laughed hysterically. I burst into tears. I don’t know what all I said. I sobbed through a litany of frustrations about the dinner and my failures as a wife, mother, caregiver, and person. To put it politely, I was inconsolable. David put his arms around me and said, “Dad, I’m going to put Mom to bed.” Joe—wide eyed because I’d never lost it like this before—nodded and quietly gathered up the plates.

David led me upstairs and tucked me in bed like I was a two-year old. It was oddly comforting. He closed the door softly behind him and then I cried it out.

Bong water? To have my cooking compared to the symbol of the rebellion that had led us to this point was too much. I wasn’t just upset over a ruined meal—I was overcome by exhaustion from a journey that I had not asked for. A journey I had done everything to divert Mike from. A journey that was far from over.

It is precisely when we realize we’re in a difficult place for the long haul that we most need the message God gives through the prophets. He says, “Don’t give up, pain doesn’t last forever. Cry, I hear you. Rest, I’ll restore you. Trust me, I will take care of you. I am using this tragedy to prove myself to you and everyone watching you.”

It took a while before I could believe it, but God keeps His word. I found that out the hard way.

Ever so-often when I fix spaghetti (still a family favorite) one of us will bring up the bong water incident. Today, we can laugh about it because in the intervening years, Mike has come to the Lord, and God has sustained our family with miracle after miracle. Thinking about burned spaghetti sauce no longer brings tears because what God has done has stripped that moment of its power. The despair I felt then has been redeemed. That dinner is now a memory that binds our family together. It reminds us how far we’ve come and how faithful God is.

That’s what the books of the prophets will do for us. If God can redeem that stubborn, sinful people, He can redeem us. If He can give them a future, He can do the same for us. The Lord transforms tragedy into triumph. Every time. For believers, bong water is never the end of the story.

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Photos by Elijah

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Elijah’s phone takes very good pictures! I enjoy seeing what he has come up with.

He found this little frog in the garden one evening and brought it in to show us.

He spent a week in June working in Fox Glacier. The scenery there is stunning!

One morning before they started work, his boss took him out to Lake Matheson to enjoy the beauty and take pictures. His boss is an accomplished photographer, and gave Elijah some good tips for composition.

May 2026 Photos

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A lot of things happened in May! Here are the rest of our photos that we wanted to share. This first one was taken when Elijah was experimenting with the camera on his new phone. He took it down the hill when he was taking care of the chickens one evening as the moon rose.

Elijah took this one when he went up the road one day to try to find a place where he didn’t have cell service. He’s been paying for satellite connectivity for a few months, but it wasn’t working, so he kept testing different things and communicating with his phone company about it. They finally found a setting that was not turned on, in his phone. He thought I would like to see this waterfall (I did!).

Two friends (Mr. Imagination and a friend of his) eating jalapenos. These jalapenos hardly have any spice–very disappointing! I think I watered them too much.

Simon spent a week cutting and welding to mount a winch on his Land Rover.

The girls spent an evening building a zoo.

This is a space right next to our church in Reefton.

My last hatching of chicks for the season. That batch of eggs wasn’t very fertile; I only ended up with 31 babies from 56 eggs.

There was a large patch of these toadstools at a place where we had a homeschool gathering. Before Little Miss could get a picture, though, most had been knocked over.

Ahh… a fire!

Esther came upon a fascinating YouTube channel about Tudor farm life. After we watched one segment, Little Miss created paint brushes the way it was done then.

As I was working in the garden one day, Miss Joy joined me and spent a long time investigating earthworms!

Another day, she helped Esther peel garlic to put in the freezer, so that she could watch the video about 19th-century breadmaking that Esther had playing.

A woolen blanket next to the fire! What bliss. It didn’t matter to Princess that the shape was bumpy.

Esther went away for a weekend, and the girls decorated their room to welcome her home.

Joe wanted another picture of his screw when he had another checkup.

New in the Library! June 2026

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More new books! We have just completed a complete inventory of the library, laying hands on every book that is not currently checked out and making sure that the book is not lost, it is in the correct place, and the cover image is correct (because we changed a setting on LibraryThing last year, which made 2/3 of our cover pictures change to the wrong one! Oops.). It was a bit scary to realize how many new books we have acquired since our last inventory in September, and how many we haven’t read yet. This is my To Be Read stash.

Esther went to a large secondhand book fair when she was visiting friends for a weekend, and found some lovely books. She bought these old copies of The Three Musketeers and Little Dorrit to add to her collection of classics. The Bamboo Cross is an amazing story about Vietnamese Christians during the 1960s. I read a borrowed copy several years ago, and it was inspiring. She also found several more books to add to her collection of Agatha Christie books.

She also found replacement copies for several of our books that have been well-loved. The paperback copy of The Story About Ping that I bought when Esther was quite young is nearly worn out, so I was delighted when she found this hardcover copy of one of our favorite picture books. Our old paperback of The Wheel on the School was falling apart, too. I love this hardcover–with the original dustjacket still! We had a first edition of Jungle Doctor Operates, but it was in very poor condition, and this one matches most of our other books from that series.

At another secondhand book sale, we found a copy of Anne Frank to replace ours, which was literally crumbling. That same sale yielded a Marguerite Henry book we didn’t have yet, Misty’s Twilight. I was delighted to be able to complete the Misty series although, to be honest, this book is not my favorite of Henry’s books. Several days later we went secondhand shopping, and I found this hardcover copy of The Carrot Seed, a delightful picture book about a little boy who knew his seed would grow.

The Silver Sword is another old favorite in our family; now we have a hardcover on the shelf to replace the falling-apart paperback. And then there are these lovely old copies of Little Men and Jo’s Boys!

Mary on Horseback and Dolphin Treasure were two of the books I read recently to my youngest. They are also old favorites that I’ve read many times! After we finished Mary, we looked up the 1931 documentary mentioned in the end of the book, and got to see old movie footage of the same scenes! As we were doing inventory, I rediscovered this picture book of Sir Francis Drake. We happened to be studying him at that time, so we added it in to one of our reading sessions. It’s a humorous look into the explorer’s life.

I got to read Caddie Woodlawn to one of my daughters. What a treat! I don’t know how many times I’ve read this one, but I always enjoy it. I finally read Traveller to myself. It was especially interesting because it is set in Canterbury, in places we have been. It’s a beautiful story of redemption, and of forgiveness, and letting go. We also read Westward Ho! It turns out to be a tale of the struggle between England and Spain for naval power, in the 1500s; the Spanish Armada figures into the story. Sadly, it ended up being quite a bloody story, with a lot of prejudice shown (the Spanish are completely evil; the South American Indians are a lower race, just barely above the level of monkeys). Since it was written in 1855, it is likely an accurate portrayal of the attitudes of the time, and gave us something to talk about.

I have been working on collecting the Swallows and Amazons series for a year or so, and finally found Swallowdale! Now we are only missing #3, Peter Duck, and one or two of the last ones. Joe found a Ranger’s Apprentice book at a secondhand shop to add to his collection, and Esther found Wives and Daughters. I haven’t read it, but she says it’s really good. James bought Called when he went to a meeting where the author spoke about her life experiences. He enjoyed reading it, and said it was inspiring.

A package of new books I received for the library included all these fun ones. A is for Arches is from a series I used to get from the library when we lived in Michigan. It’s a fun way to explore the states. The Longest Journey is a description of the voyage faced by people immigrating from England to New Zealand in the 1950s. Dick Whittington is a fun retelling of the old legend of a boy and his cat. Avoid Being in a Medieval Castle is from a fun series; I’ve found these quite good for studying various topics. And then there are two more Life of Fred books. I love the way they teach difficult topics in a fun way.

The World of Mathematics and Seven True Elephant Stories were also in that package. I really like Tiner’s books about various historical/scientific topics. The elephant book has been shelved with the Independent Readers; it’s a great book for children who have graduated from Easy Readers and are ready for simple chapter books. Sermons From a Soapbox is one that I got for review, and my mom brought it along when she came. I used it for a daily devotional after she left (she was reading it that way while she was here). I like the short, bite-sized encouraging essays.

I finally talked someone into choosing The Bounces of Cynthiann’ for a read-aloud! I brought this one home in a suitcase last year. It is a delightful story of four orphan children who discover, when they arrive in a small town in Oregon, that the cousin they were to live with has died. What happened to them next makes an engrossing story. Brave Buffalo Fighter is a page-turner about traveling the Oregon Trail. Be sure to read a few reviews of it before handing it to children, though. I included a number of content warnings with my review. Then there is Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters. I chose this one from my TBR pile just because of the title. The author uses stories-within-a-story to change a character’s mindset and bring people together.

As usual, we were able to get through several books that have been on our shelves but unread by us for many years. The Yanks Are Coming is a very readable history of World War I. Some of it is terrible–the way war is. I appreciated learning more about that war; there are a lot of books about World War II, but not many about this one. Esther read Defying Death. It is the story of a Coptic priest in Egypt, and his discovery of Jesus and how he shared Jesus with those around him. She was quite impressed with the story. Sebastian Bach is another book I discovered while doing inventory. I read it quickly, and decided it belonged on the Independent Readers shelf. It is a fascinating story!

These readers were in another parcel of books I bought. They have beautiful pictures! My youngest loves reading them.

That same parcel included all these beautiful science picture books. My children enjoyed studying the pictures in them.

That parcel also included these picture books! When one of the boys read Hattie and the Fox, he asked, “Why does the fox never catch the chicken in picture books?” Sunshine is a fun wordless book. I like these books illustrating various aspects of New Zealand farm life, too. Sadly, Deer Recovery is missing the center pages, so I’ll be watching for a replacement copy.

We finally have a copy of The Story of Ferdinand. Can you tell I like the old picture books? We found Ten Girls Who Used Their Talents in a secondhand shop. I think we have all except one of the books in that series now. And, I found another Bear Grylls Adventures book! The Safari Challenge joins the other three we have from that series. I don’t like the magical aspect, but I do like that these are high-interest, low-level books, and even printed with the OpenDyslexic font. And, the life lessons that are taught in each book are good, too.

I finished reading The Russians series. These are good! I have read a lot about the events of the Bolshevik Revolution and Lenin’s takeover of Russia, but to read about it in this format really makes the events real and personal. I found it fascinating to get an inside glimpse into the tensions that brought Russia to the point of Lenin being able to take over the country. Every so often there is a chapter directly about the Romanov family, the family of the Tsar. Those were a bit hard to read, because I knew what happened to them. Find my reviews of Heirs of the Motherland; The Dawning of Deliverance; White Nights, Red Morning; and Passage Into Light on Goodreads.

And that’s all for June! There will be more books going on the shelf in July, I’m sure. Remember that TBR pile at the top of this post? I’m working on it! As always, to borrow any of these books or others, please go to our catalog. If that link doesn’t work, find another view of it here, and then email me through the contact form on this blog. Find out how we loan books on this page.

New Floor!

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One day in early May, Esther went into our shipping container to find something that was stored in there. She was horrified to find evidence of mice. We had never had mice find their way in there before, but sure enough, when I went in, it smelled strongly of them. That was on Saturday. We helped someone move on Monday, so Tuesday was our first chance to get into the container. We decided to pull everything out of the area under the shelves and see if we could find where the mice were getting in. We found it! See the hole in the corner and the pile of bits of wood around it? We also found that this corner of the floor was quite damp. After some consultation with the builder and the floor layer in the family, the decision was made to tear up the old particle-board floor, which was water-damaged in many places, and replace it with new, treated plywood, covered with commercial vinyl offcuts that Elijah was able to get for free.

We were surprised, when we pulled up the floor, to find this underneath! The container was a reefer, which explains the channels.

James got the new floor laid that evening (what a blessing that Elijah can bring plywood home in his work van), and Elijah got started laying the vinyl.

That weekend, he finished the job, and on Monday we moved back in! The floor has three different colors, but it is sweepable and washable and we are delighted. And, no mice can get in. The hole through which they were entering has been found and plugged (a plug blew out when someone was using a power washer a few months ago). The cats still want in, but that is because they like the beds that are often in there.

Moonlight Track

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The first week of May, we spent a Sunday afternoon with friends, exploring the Moonlight Track in the Paparoa Range. This track is almost directly across the Grey River from our house, but a 30-minute drive because of the location of the bridges. It was a gorgeous, quiet spot to spend a few hours. I quickly found myself alone at the end of the line. I had forgotten to bring my walking shoes, so had to make do with my dress shoes. I enjoyed taking my time and soaking in the quiet of the forest after everyone else ran on ahead.

The views along the Moonlight River were amazing!

After awhile, I caught up with Gayle, Esther and Miss Joy who were sitting on rocks along the river and enjoying the water and the scenery.

We think of Grandma every time we see fungi!

I’m not sure what this was, but it was intriguing.

A couple of us took photos of a friendly bush robin. It actually got as close as about three inches from my feet, but moved so fast that I didn’t get a picture of it there.

I took a few side tracks that looked interesting. One of them came out on this clearing, with a sign that says, ” Moonlight Township 1860.” There was a bustling town here at that time, full of gold miners.

This enormous hole in the ground is at the far side of the town site.

The main track next goes between these piles of rocks. It looks as though the rocks which were dug out in the process of searching for gold were stacked very carefully in various places.

Up a hill on another side track, overlooking the river, I found this roofing iron–all that’s left of a house?

Beside it, Joe and I found this fireplace.

This bit of stone wall was just off to the side.

This pile of stones goes out over the river.

There were a number of caves, where gold was dug out long ago.

Another picture for Grandma–Elijah thinks this may have been slime mold.

I didn’t go as far as the swing bridge. Apparently, it wasn’t too scary!

April 2026 Photos

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This month’s photos are a little more varied than last! First are some mushrooms. These first three are pictures Elijah took while he was on a search. He has a new phone and loves the good camera built in to it.

The girls found these mushrooms growing in the garden and took the pictures for Grandma (the ones above were taken with Grandma in mind, too!).

The next one is mushrooms growing on rotten balage!

Elijah loves taking night pictures with his new phone. This was the moon over the Tasman Sea one night when he was in Hokitika for a birthday party.

The same night; this is the boat playground at the mouth of the Hokitika River.

Little Miss is determined to get 1,000 hours of outside time this year, so even when it rains, she’s outside. And when she’s outside, chances are that Miss Joy is, too. One rainy day, this is what I saw!

The girls harvested the first half of the pumpkins by themselves.

When it’s cold, we do school like this. Miss Joy got the coveted position directly in front of the fire this time. The cat makes sure she gets her spot close to it, too.

After being in milk since September 2024, Bluebell isn’t giving much anymore, but there sure is a lot of cream! See the cream line? I’ve been able to freeze great quantities of butter for the winter shortage. Some days, there is even more cream than this. Sadly, after 15-20 years of service for us, this 5-liter jar got cracked a few days ago. I’ll have to buy another stainless steel one.

One morning, I was hanging laundry. I noticed something fuzzy in the basket of wet clothes. My eyes aren’t quite as good as they used to be, and I didn’t look closely, either. I thought, “That’s an odd bit of black yarn; it almost looks like a spider.” I kept picking things up and shaking them out and hanging them. As I got down through the basket, the bit of yarn fell to the bottom… and then the legs moved. It WAS a giant, fuzzy spider! It had gone through a wash cycle and was still slightly alive. Mr. Imagination took it to the greenhouse, but it didn’t live much longer. I think he still has it, though, to bring out when he wants to shock someone.

Mr. Imagination is majorly into weaponry. His latest craze is slingshots. He has created many, many slingshots in the last while, and built this target to practice shooting. The towel is to stop the balls, and they can be recovered in the barrel so he can reuse them.

The day we traveled to Timaru for Easter Conference, the sky was absolutely clear, and the view as we came over a hill and could see Lake Coleridge in the distance was stunning. The photo doesn’t come anywhere near doing it justice.

The view as we came down into the Rakaia Gorge was stunning, too.

Miss Joy with her domino string.

The ultimate pick up sticks game–arrows!

This was part of Joe’s engineering course; he had to design a suspension bridge and then weight it down.

She’s protecting the chicks that are hatching! (Or maybe coveting….)

New in the Library! May 2026

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More new books! I placed an order with Living Book Press for a few books. I remember loving The Burgess Bird Book for Children; I read it several times. I’ve never read The Burgess Seashore Book for Children before, but soon I hope to read it aloud. Both of these have been updated with color photographs instead of the original drawings. One Sunday morning, I noticed a picture book under someone’s arm, and asked to have a look at it. It turned out that she had brought it along to give to someone, and she gave it to us for the library! The Cat From Muzzle is a delightful true story of a cat who made his way home through rugged terrain.

Last month sometime, I watched a video that a fellow librarian in Wisconsin made, describing some older books she is reprinting. The books she was showing rang a bell, and I went to the shelf to have a look. Sure enough, this biography of Sir Edmund Hillary was from the publisher who originally brought out the books she was talking about! Not long after that, I saw six more books advertised on a page I follow, and I was able to get more of these wonderful biographies. Thomas Alva Edison and Paul Revere are from the Discovery series, which are the ones she was talking about; Hernando De Soto, John Smith, Roald Amundsen, and Ferdinand Magellan are from the other series, about World Explorers. All of these have relatively large print with a lot of white on the page, and reasonably easy vocabulary, but the stories are very interesting. Each has around 12 chapters. I am delighted to have these books on the shelf; some of them are about men that are hard to find information about.

These two Titanic books were bundled with another book I wanted (which hasn’t been added to the shelf yet). Finding the Titanic is an easy reader, while Titanic by Sean Callery is full of information about the ship and its sinking. A funny story about it: We took a long hike on a mountain track one Sunday afternoon, and our six-year-old said, near the end, that she was “tectonically tired.” She’s been studying the Titanic in this book! I grabbed No Lily-Livered Girl when I had the chance, as we already had the other four books in this series about the life of a girl in New Zealand in the early 1900s.

Awhile ago we read How to Pet a Porcupine in digital format. We loved this goofy book with its delightful illustrations and fun plays on words, so when I had a chance to buy a paper copy, I did. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was an op shop find when my daughters were with a neighbor. It has beautiful illustrations, although I think I still like our other picture book version of this story better. Betsy and the Boys was my choice of one more book in an order to get free shipping. I would love to own all of Carolyn Haywood’s books! They are quite popular with 7-9-year-olds. Luciana was a book I received in a bulk lot and didn’t like the looks of, but when I read it, I decided to keep it. There are some good lessons about responsibility and friendship in this book.

I added Winning His Spurs to a stack of books I bought recently because I like G. A. Henty’s historical fiction, but was disappointed, when it arrived, to see that it was abridged. I’ll leave it on the shelf until I find a better copy. Cougar was a Bookarama find last year. It tells the story of a boy who adopted an orphaned cougar cub in the woods of Maine–and then had to figure out what to do with it! Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry has been on our shelf for many years, but I just ended up with this nice, nearly-new copy in a bulk lot and decided to replace my old one. Esther took it, because it matched another in the series that she owns.

We already had a copy of My Friend Flicka, but when I found this vintage hardcover with a beautiful dust jacket I decided to replace ours. With a new plastic cover over the dust jacket, isn’t it gorgeous? Mick the Disobedient Puppy is a fun small-format picture book. Out of the Dust has been on our shelf for a long time, but I finally got around to reading it. What an amazing way to feel like you have experienced the Dust Bowl in Depression-era Oklahoma! It also happens to be the first novel-in-verse that I have ever read.

I also read several more books that have been on the shelf for a long time. Where in the World and The Wondrous World of Violet Barnaby both deal with grief for the loss of a parent (one from a boy’s perspective, and the other from a girl’s), among other issues. Both are well done, although I found Violet more engrossing. The Dark Night is a typical example of 19th-century Sunday reading, telling a story with a very clearly-shown moral.

I loved getting to read some old favorites to my youngest children! The Light at Tern Rock is probably my all-time favorite Christmas story. The Story About Ping must be almost my favorite picture book. I’ve been reading this one aloud for well over 20 years, and still love it. By the looks of it, we may need a replacement some day. Secret of the Andes is a delightful story of a boy in the mountains of Peru. I hadn’t remembered how much of it centers around worshipping the sun, though. That made for a good thing to discuss!

I read a few more books that have been languishing on the shelves for many years, waiting to be read. Keeping Score is a moving story about a girl in love with baseball, and when the man she enjoyed it with is sent to Korea, with devastating results, she learns a lot about life. A Rat’s Tale is a fun, tongue-in-cheek story of thousands of rats who act a lot like humans. I haven’t read Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy yet, but Esther did and liked it.

My 11-year-old didn’t totally enjoy listening to me read Across Five Aprils to her, but I thoroughly enjoyed this intimate view of the American Civil War from the perspective of a young boy on a farm in Illinois. Race to the Pole is a quick, easy read about Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton and how they raced to the South Pole. It is great for 7-10-year-olds who like nonfiction. The Snow Goose was another quick read. It turns out to be the story of the rescue at Dunkirk, centered around a snow goose and the outcast man who saved the bird’s life.

We found another Church Mouse book. These are very fun! The humor is decidedly adult-level (totally clean, but things like “escaping the rat race”), but children love the overall story. I read American Adventures to one of my children as part of our trip through American history. There are stories in this book that I’ve never seen elsewhere (did you know that there was an Emperor in San Francisco once upon a time?). Ballet Shoes was included in a bulk lot of children’s books I purchased. I didn’t think I would keep it, but when I started reading it and laughing, I soon changed my mind. Then, I realized that, instead of being modern as I thought, it was actually first published in 1936!

We just finished reading a book I brought home from an op shop in Michigan last year, and one that we picked up at the Bookarama. The Grizzly turned out to be a very intense survival story, great to suck boys in. It is much more than that, though. It is an amazing journey of a boy whose parents are estranged; his mother has made him afraid of his father and of anything that might be dangerous or scary. I ended up really liking this book. It will be on the shelf as soon as I can get the cover repaired. Boy made us very thankful not to be in an English boarding school in the 1930s. The brutality was unbelievable. However, we did understand more where Roald Dahl came up with some of his stories and characters. I also read Joanna of Checkerboard Hills, which has been on the shelf since it was given to us a couple of years ago. It is a typical book from Rod & Staff Publishers, depicting a strong Christian family and perfect role models.

We now have three books on the shelf about William Wilberforce. I think One Voice is my favorite, even though it doesn’t work very well as a read-aloud unless the person being read to is right there looking at the page. That’s because it is written in free-verse style. It was a very effective way to get the message across, if it is seen. Esther found The Story of Doctor Dolittle at a secondhand book shop. The cover had come loose, so they didn’t charge her for it, but I was able to glue it together easily. I read it to my youngest, and she absolutely loved it. We had just finished studying the Elizabethan period when I noticed Mary Queen of Scots on the shelf forgotten, waiting to be read, so we backed up in our history studies. I have added some content warnings about it to our catalog, so have a look at that.

We also added four new Adult Fiction books! Esther picked up Gold For Prince Charlie at an op shop. She loved this glimpse into the life of Bonnie Prince Charlie. I would love to read it… as well as Waves of Mercy. Esther read Waves of Mercy awhile ago, as a review book. Lynn Austin is one of her favorite authors, so much so that she not only read this one but listened to it. The Holy Thief is one of the books we rescued from the dump in Rotorua when we were there a couple of years ago, and we found The Potter’s Field at the Bookarama last year. I really enjoy the Brother Cadfael books! I would call them cozy mysteries, though they are murder mysteries, and all that I have read have a thread of romance in them, even though they are set in monasteries. They are pure fun! I like the way they are written, too; though they were written recently, they sound like old stories.

To borrow any of these books or others, please go to our catalog. If that link doesn’t work, find another view of it here, and then email me through the contact form on this blog. Find out how we loan books on this page.

March 2026 Photos

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Cats and garden and truck… that covers most of the photos I liked from March! This first one, though, is of the lunar eclipse that month. What a spectacular sight! Elijah had a pair of image-stabilizing binoculars here at the time that he was testing out for his Land Search and Rescue group, and they made the moon amazingly clear. We also got to see the four biggest moons of Jupiter through them. What a thrill! The last time I saw those was with my dad, probably in the 1980s when he was given a telescope.

My girls love books and cats! Little Miss has been reading to Miss Joy a lot.

Mr. Imagination and Elijah with their stack.

The garden was gorgeous at that point. (It’s mostly dead now.) Esther took this picture one day while she was harvesting chamomile. The smell of this area… wonderful!

Sometime in March, Simon bought another Land Rover. This one started out life in 1963 with a different body; this one was put on in the 1980s. It isn’t running, and he plans to junk most of it, but he got it for certain parts that are especially good in that model. Anyway, the price was so low he couldn’t not get it!

And, cats! Goofy cats that rest in odd places and positions.

Boxes are the best.

Even if the box is so small it’s difficult to fit all four feet in!

This picture requires some explanation. One morning, around 11:00, someone saw Grizzly sitting like this in the yard, looking quite unhappy. It had started to rain an hour or so before this; she had been sitting there since 8:30 or so. She was very wet, but didn’t wake up enough to move until I nudged her as I went past, shortly after the picture was taken. Then, she got up, leaving a dry spot on the grass where she had been, and went under cover.