Thursday, March 30, 2017

Mail, Reading, and Dragons!

April is National Letter Writing Month
I love Maggie Rudy's mice and her blog MousesHouses.  Since I was a child, I've been fascinated with books and stories with tiny animals and their anthropomorphic lives, and I have never outgrown the charm and enchantment of seeing these miniature worlds.  Of course, there is the iconic British mailbox to give this scene even more flavor!


 Odille Bailloeul's mice receive mail.  

I have a problem with time. Or scheduling.  Or both.  My good intentions of being prepared for National Letter Writing Month are up in smoke, once again.  :)  I already have addresses for several of you, so at some point in April, you will get a little something in the mail!

If I don't have your address, and you would like a postcard in your mailbox during April, leave a comment, and I will email you to get your address.  :)  

A recent letter from Connie gave me a surge of enthusiasm for trying to post a letter a day in April.  Except for Sunday.  Thank goodness for Sundays.  You might check out the Write_On Challenge, but the important thing is to send a surprise missive to make someone's mailbox happy, not to pressure yourself with a particular number. 

The letter I sent to Melody at the first of March came back to me in sad shape.  I'm really glad the return address was intact.  I stuck an address label and an additional stamp on the plastic bag the P.O. used to return it, and sent it on its way again--with fingers crossed!  

Books and Reading
Nonfiction.  I finished Margo Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures.  I loved the film, and I loved the book which was, of course, more accurate and more detailed. Would I have discovered the book without having seen the film? Would I have been interested?  I'm not sure, but I am certainly glad I had the opportunity to experience both.  You know how much I loved the movie from the previous post, but the book tackles so much more!

Fiction.  Have you ever read a trilogy or a series and then been heartbroken that it eventually came to an end?  I've been reading Robin Hobb for over 20 years.  Hobb writes some of the best epic fantasy around, and she just completed the last trilogy concerning Fitz and the Fool.  I read it in February but it won't be released until May, so I've held off on the review on my book blog and have it scheduled for April 5. 

It is really difficult to let go of these characters and this world that I've inhabited through so many books.  The first trilogy is the Farseer Trilogy: Assassin's ApprenticeRoyal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest that introduces Fitzchivalry and the Fool.  And "there be dragons" aplenty in most of these books.  :)

More on Dragons  
I love dragons in myth, and in fantasy, and in Bozena Wojtaszek's quilts!  Check out Textile Cuisine for more of Bozena's enchanting dragons.  Fairy tales come to life!


12 comments:

  1. How nice for my dragon to be liked and featured here! It was a surprise for me to jump on this theme and now I can't stop. So yes, new creatures will keep coming.

    And I'm with you in love for those miniature worlds and their little inhabitants :)

    Thanks for inviting me to your world, it's a real pleasure for me!

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    1. Thank you for letting me share one of your dragons, Bozena! I love them all and am so happy that there will be more in the future. It is fun to read about where your inspiration comes from and a little about your process!

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  2. Love the mice scenes and their great mail. On your damaged mail, at least it didn't just go lost and forgotten altogether. I have experienced damaged mail also. It happens. Just like any other accident in life. I love how you sent it back out!

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    1. I know--I was so grateful that the return address was still there! Otherwise, it would have been one more lost piece of mail. At least there is that memorial in Japan for the spirits of undelivered letters, so I could have been content. Not really. :)

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  3. Dragons are always fascinating and highly decorative!

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    1. :) Yes, they are both! And fun to think about and to create!

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  4. I have always loved tiny mice creations. Maybe because I used to have a pet rat. People may think that is stupid, but they are very smart and mine came to me when I called him. He was a rescue rat that I saved from being snake food. And dragons are amazing creatures. Loyal and beautiful and VERY entertaining.
    xx, Carol

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    1. :) I tend to like miniature worlds like the ones Maggie and Odile create for their mice. I'm sure your rat had a happy life, Carol; certainly he enjoyed a longer one than he was originally destined for! And yes, I definitely agree that dragons are amazing creature that offer the thrill of magic.

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  5. Really enjoyed this post, love the mice and dragons great. I haven't heard of this author looks like I have a treat ahead.

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    1. Aren't the mice and the dragons wonderful?! They make me smile just thinking about them. :)

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  6. I bought the book Hidden Figures but I can't find it. I haven't read it, nor did we make it to the movie. It's here in the library somewhere. I will read it. One of the women, Mrs. Katherine Goble Johnson, was married to Mr. Goble, a barber in my hometown. She taught math at the black high school there in SW Va. He died and she moved on to greater things.

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    1. The book is excellent! So much information and so thoughtfully written. You would love not only the stories of the women, but the historical information on NACA and NASA. You certainly have the background for the setting, and when Katherine moved on to Langley, she missed the cooler nights of the mountains in WV.

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Good to hear from you!