[and Christmas]
of my favorite tin cat signs
"Winter was back with a vengeance. The sunset colors were violent and a racing wind boomed angrily across the sky. Next door to the mystery house a large cardboard carton had been put out for the garbage collectors, and its top flapped wildly in the wind. . . .
The house remained silent, blind, its blank shaded windows giving back only the red reflection of the setting sun."
from Ginnie and the Mystery House, p 53
might be sitting home quietly,
with cats in lap & books in hand!
Perhaps perusing some
childhood favorites
for old times' sake:
Ginnie and the Mystery Doll
Ginnie and the Mystery House
both by Catherine Woolley
I Will Go Barefoot All Summer for You
by Katie Letcher Lyle
Winter at Cloverfield Farm
by Helen Fuller Orton
I reread this one because the picture of the horse-drawn sleigh on the front made me wonder if it was the long lost story about wishing away time that I've been trying to locate. But, no, it wasn't.The Diamond in the Window
by Jane Langton
The introduction by Gregory Maguire (Wicked) -- explaining why this was his favorite childhood novel -- is very inspiring. However . . .
. . . after waiting over 50 years to reread these books, I would have to say that now, for me, they all seem not just sadly but also weirdly dated. Sorry, I can't even make an exception for Jane Langton and The Diamond in the Window, no matter how beloved. These titles may have spoken to my heart in the 1960s, but I certainly would not pick them today for a growing girl.
From my friend Cary: "I also used to walk by the "Diamond in the Window" house in Concord, MA almost every day. I agree with your blog post - I wouldn't read it to my granddaughter...but the house is beautiful!"
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