Friday, June 15, 2012

Nature's Almanac


I have a little secret.  I love the Old Farmers' Almanac.  I have been getting my Dad a copy of the Almanac every year since we moved up to the Island.  Why?  Well, when move to the Island, gardening becomes a huge part of your life.  Dad always had a green thumb and had an amazing way of growing the most beautiful plants, but the size of his garden here is ten times the size of his garden in the city.

When you move to Manitoulin Island, producing your own fresh fruit and veg is just another regular part of life.  When gardening becomes such a regular part of your life, you often consult the Almanac!  Apparently, it makes for some good bathroom reading too. Shhhhh! I wouldn't know that. I wouldn't know one bit about all the amazing tips on blanching vegetables and freezing them for Winter use, or how best to clean everything in your house with just baking soda.  No. I wouldn't even know about what the best kinds of tomatoes are for certain tomato dishes or that we need to consult the Almanac for the best time to plant seeds. Bathroom reading? Nah. Not me! That's just icky.

Anyway, I've become curiously interested in almanacs, so when I was asked to review A Nature Lover's Alamanac: Kinky Bugs, Stealthy Critters, Prosperous Plants & Celestial Wonders, I was elated!

I know! I am a big book work and I could not stop reading it! Hubby and our three year old also love all sorts of facts and trivia, so this was the perfect family reading material!


FUN NATURE TRIVIA FOR CITY DWELLERS AND SUBURBANITES ALIKE!
Did you know that…We all have follicle mites living on our faces? The caterpillar of the silver-spotted skipper blasts its frass (poop) five feet outside its nest? In India, the humble pigeon is a symbol of lust? Jumping spiders sometimes watch TV with you? Spring moves north at about 16 miles per day, or 100 miles per week? Healthy garden soil has the same characteristics as a good chocolate cake? The North Pole rarely points north? A tick can live up to 18 years without food? When a frog eats something disagreeable, it disgorges its entire stomach, brushes out the offending victual, and stuffs its stomach back down its throat?

Isn't that fascinating?!

Oh, there's much more too! There are so many interesting little-known facts about nature in this book. Trust me, you'll learn something new each day!

One of the things my pre-schooler loves the most is the part that mentions which constellations you can see in the night sky each month of the year. Where we live, we can see the the Milky Way really well because there is hardly any light pollution. We can even view the Northern Lights and Perseid Meteor Showers from our front porch. The fact that Diane Olson's A Nature Lover's Almanac mentions cool tid bits like that, just captured the interest of my three year old daughter!

A Nature Lover’s Almanac is written by Diane Olson and illustrated by Adele Flail (Gibbs Smith, $12.99, Paperback, ISBN:978-1-4236-2224-6, June 2012).
Feel free to click here to preview A Nature Lover’s Almanac on Google Books.

Disclaimer - I was given a copy of A Nature Lover's Almanac to facilitate this review. All the opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

10 comments:

Kat Gignac said...

I can't believe a tick can live for 18 years without food! No wonder we have to deal with the little goobers every spring! ;)

Unknown said...

Kat:
LOL! I know! Crazy, eh?

Unknown said...

The frog stomach thing is pretty gross!!

Neat book!!

Aeryn Lynne said...

Christine!! I should not have read your post *right* after eating lunch, omg... LOL. I totally didn't need to know about face dwelling mites, or how how frogs deal with stomach pains (I'll stick to Advil, thnx!) ;)

Unknown said...

Wendy:
LOL! It's something kids find incredibly interesting!

Unknown said...

Aeryn:
LOL! Oooops! Sorry! :)

Nolie said...

Well so much for starving ticks to death.

Unknown said...

Fab Frugal Mama:
LOL!!! Oh, my goodness! Your comment had me laughing so hard, I almost fell out of my chair! *ahem* No, I'm not like George!!! LOL! That was one of the funniest episodes ever! :)

Unknown said...

Nolie:
I know! I always thought we could! Hmmm! I learn something new every day!

DianeOlson said...

I'm honored to be your bathroom read! Thanks for reviewing my book. ;0)

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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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