Visiting Schools

I recently visited three schools in Granite Bay, near Sacramento, CA. Speaking to children about being an author and about the adventures my work takes me on is always a great pleasure. The enthusiasm I see in the students about nature and animals gives me hope that they will help keep our planet healthy enough that we can continue to share it with the wild world.

I stayed at a B&B in the countryside. There, on the outskirts of a major city, I saw springtime nature thriving, with tadpoles in the ponds, butterflies in the air, and birds like this egret fishing. I felt like my own childhood self again, exploring nature and being delightfully surprised by what I found. It was wonderful to see nature alive and well both in the outdoors and in the spirits of the children in the schools. I hope that the children, too, get opportunities to go outside and explore, to make their own discoveries about the wild world that shares their world.

It's been too long since I've added to my blog. A few days after writing my last post, I watched the morning unfold from my bedroom window--yes, I do have this view!--and realized that winter DOES have color at times, even beautiful magical color. Now we're into the beginnings of springtime, with returning geese, ducks, and songbirds. A pair of blue birds has already claimed the nestbox on the meadow near our road, and small flocks of birds rise up from the trees and speed their way to another perch. Soon, the first shoots of daffodils and tulips will peek out from the soil and I will know I can look forward to the blooms of spring.