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Since my husband and I are spending more time at home than usual this winter, thanks to a certain virus, it’s a special joy to spot wildlife we don’t normally see, right out our window. Here are 2 recent yard guests that visited at a safe social distance.

We usually get downy woodpeckers, but this striking red-bellied fellow has been a “frequent flyer” (haha)

When he eats his lunch while we eat ours, it’s the closest we come to hosting a dining companion these days.

And then this furry creature came along. Thanks for stopping by!

I really lucked out when my poem in the new Writers’ Loft anthology Friends and Anemones (see previous post) was brought to life by the talented illustrator and writer Doreen Buchinski.  My poem is about beautiful, energetic birds, Red Knots, that migrate record-breaking distances each year and rely on horseshoe crab eggs for sustenance.

Doreen and Charlotte Sheer have poems on the same spread. See for yourself how they all came together: 

I’m honored to have a poem in a gorgeously illustrated anthology cleverly entitled Friends & Anemones: Ocean Poems For Children. 

Published by the Writers’ Loft, it features lyrical, informative, and humorous poems by over 60 poets, including Jane Yolen, Peter Reynolds, and Josh Funk. There will be a virtual book launch this Sunday, November 15th with sneak peaks and readings.

How to buy a copy:

https://bookshop.org/shop/thewritersloft
https://bookshop.org/shop/blueBunny
https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Anemones-Ocean-Poems-Children/dp/0998317233/

The first month’s profits will go to the Rozalia Project, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting oceans. I’m honored to be part of this!

…I look at my 3 sweeties.

And how can I not smile?

This Thursday September 17th at 7 PM, I’ll be a guest on the Instagram show Funk & Friends, hosted by my former student, wonderful children’s book author, and friend, Josh Funk.

You can catch it live or anytime afterwards by searching on Instagram for @joshfunkbooks
Not on Instagram? Josh will be posting the episode at a later date on YouTube.

I promise everyone that I will try not to be too boring, and I promised my children that I will try not to be overly embarrassing.

One of the joys of summer is seeing wildlife. And despite staying more close to home during this pandemic summer, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to see wild creatures right in my own neighborhood.
I’ve already posted a bunny sheltering under a lawn chair during a rainstorm and an unusual beetle. Another day we had an impressive visitor across the street from us, apparently burying her eggs:

Huuuuuuge snapping turtle laying eggs on our across-the-street neighbor’s front lawn

I was impressed that, despite the fact that snapping turtles do live up to their name, after all, the neighbor roped off the area to protect the eggs.

And soon afterwards another neighbor created this sign!

Continuing the theme of natural wonders in my own backyard, check out these ENORMOUS lilies! My husband (seen below, last week when temps were 30 degrees below what they are today) planted them a few years ago. But this summer they just kept growing…and growing…and growing…until they tower over the aforementioned lovely Al. Well, don’t take my word for it…see for yourself!

Oh, and the flowers smell as good as they look!

Spending more time than usual in my backyard this sheltering, sometimes sweltering summer, my husband and I have encountered some brand new natural phenomena we might not have noticed in previous years.
One day we saw two different creatures that seemed to enjoy our lawn furniture…

During a heavy downpour this bunny took shelter beneath a chair. When the rain stopped, it resumed its lawn chomping duties.

My research tells me that this striking-looking insect is an Eyed Click Beetle.

When my local library, Cary Memorial Library in Lexington, asked if I’d like to read one of my books to share on its YouTube Channel, I thought, “What fun!”

And it was. I chose to share my giggles-inducing picture book about Sidney the pig, an aspiring poet who wants to change his name because his name is un-rhymeable (except for kidney). I hope the children who tuned in had as much fun as I did! Kudos to Cary Library for coming up with this program…