The Library

[ANNIE]

The Library
Our library cafe is open 24/7; the welcome mat is always out.
Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us.

Barb, I left a short message about a nonfiction book I am enjoying right now and I think we would all enjoy discussing it. “The Woman Who Smashed Codes”  by Jason Fagone.  It’s quite astonishing!  I will look for a link about it! 

I find that if you want to check about the book, go to Amazon.com.  They have reviews all about
it!  Mistake made : Riverbank is where this story begins and the year is 1916. 

[bellamarie]

I just saw my former student Elizabeth Cottle, on our local TV this morning, talking about the play she will be in this week end called Silent Sky based on the non-fiction book by Lauren Gunderson.  I am so proud to see, Elizabeth will be playing the lead role of Henrietta Leavitt.  Another story of how a woman was overlooked in a man's world in the early 1900s.  Elizabeth is one of four sisters, their Dad died of brain cancer when she was only in Jr. High.  Her mother I called a saint, died just a couple of years ago quiet suddenly.  I always told Elizabeth I would come see her when she made it to the big stage, knowing acting was her dream.  She teased me and said, "Mrs. Reinhart, when I make it big, I will tell everyone how you had a positive influence on me as my teacher."   I told her, "I'll tell everyone, I knew her when...." We both laughed.  This is one of many plays she has had lead roles in.

https://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Gunderson/e/B004TODMLM/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1
Silent Sky

When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn't allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women "computers," charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in "girl hours" and has no time for the women's probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman's place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women's ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.

It would be nice for our book club to put this book on the, to be discussed list.

[BarbStAubrey]

So many great books aren't there - both your suggestion Bellamarie and Annie's suggestions sound more like the kind of book Pat likes to tackle - we shall see what we shall see - Pat is great at checking to see Library availability which is really the key when newer books are suggested.

Bellamarie hope you are comfortable at home - the news shows dicey weather in your area - we are on the tail end of this front and whatever it is bringing with it, my sinuses hare having a field day today. Come to think of it Annie you also, aren't you in northern Ohio just a hop skip and jump further east from Bellamarie.

And Pat, flying from coast to coast this time of year flying through all this weather - wow - now that is putting trust in the airline industry, from plane maintenance, to pilot, to relay stations, and air traffic controllers, on and on.

So many wonderful photos of birds in winter - my good friend Charlotte used to love sitting at the table in her breakfast area and watching the birds - she too had feeders hanging from her trees and even the eave of her house - she had her binoculars on the sill along with her bird identification book - behind her house was a greenbelt so there was lots of wildlife to observe. She did not take photos like you do Bellamarie. The cardinals are really a show piece in winter aren't they. Putting all your photos together for a book sounds like such a great idea.   

I wonder if Rosemary is still clearing out her library and what she has decided to do with all the books that do not have a designated shelf space - I remember that dilemma and decided I needed more shelves - purchased 2 of those collapsible wooden shelves and put them back to back at right angles into the room with just enough space between the pair and the shelves against the wall - I have dreams of clearing out the front living room that I never use, getting rid of the sofa even though it is good piece and lining the walls with bookcases - problem is the kind of bookcases I would like are traditional wood so there is a cost factor but it would clear out the bookcases in both front bedrooms so I could use the one bedroom again as a sewing room - I started to sell books and realize that too often there was something in a book I read that I need to re-read or refer to stitch together my thinking, plus let's face it, some of us just like looking at and being surrounded by books.   

[rosemarykaye]

'plus let's face it, some of us just like looking at and being surrounded by books.'   

That's me Barb!  I know all these mindfulness books go on about clearing your space and not having clutter, but to me being surrounded by books is a comfort, not a burden.

As to how I am getting on, I wish I could remember Ginny's instructions (which she's given me at least twice) on how to post pictures, then you would be able to see what my floors look like just now....  I think many of you in the US have quite large houses, whereas ours tend to be smaller, especially in places like Edinburgh where property is expensive. I would so love to have a huge room just for my books!  The last place I had a room like that was in a house we rented outside St John's, Newfoundland, many years ago. It had a spectacular view of Outer Cove, the ocean - and sometimes the whales. We didn't realise, when we agreed to rent it, that it was somebody's summer house. Fine when we moved in in the autumn - absolutely freezing right through the winter. A fascinating time though - I had never before seen the sea freeze over, it is the weirdest thing to look out of the window and gradually realise that the waters are not moving - because they have turned to solid ice.

bellamarie - would you be able to explain again how to post pictures? Your bird photo was beautiful - I don't think we have those birds (?cardinals) here in the UK - or maybe I've just never seen one.

I finished John Berger's And our faces, my heart, brief as photos and feel I want to read something a little lighter next - but despite being surrounded by books I can't decide what to start. I think I will just have to pick randomly.

I don't like to travel in bad weather, especially not by car or plane. I always have faith that the train will get through in snow, etc - I just imagine myself on the Orient Express in the days of Agatha Christie (minus the murderer(s) of course...)

Ginny, I watched a Father Brown last night that I hadn't seen before - it was about a station master who turns up dead in a trunk. I think this is a new series but there are so many showing on different channels here at the moment that I'm never sure which are the repeats and which the new ones. I like to watch them when I'm too tired for anything more demanding.

Have a good weekend everyone,

Rosemary

[bellamarie]

rosemarykaye,   Our Senior Learn forum does not have a copy and paste feature, for adding pics, so you must get the pic url, copy the url, and then insert it. 

Here is a youtube video that is very good at showing and explaining it. 
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-dcola-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=dcola&p=how+to+upload+a+picture+to+a+website#id=2&vid=6da6ab45c50f98ef9fe7c40e48304aac&action=click


As he says, you must use a host photo site such as Photobucket, to post on Forums.  For me I have a Facebook account that I upload my pics to, so I just go there, click the pic, highlight the url address, then paste it in this forum.

You MUST be in PREVIEW mode here on Senior Learn, in order to click the camera icon to paste a url address.
 
If you look above at all the small icons when you are in "Preview" mode here on Senior Learn, you will first:
click on the camera icon (just below the B )

This will appear in brackets.......    img   /img

Click between these and allow space to place the pic url.

Find the pic you want to insert from your host site, copy the url of the pic.  ( if you right click the pic, it usually gives the url)

Come and paste that url between the imgs. 

Be sure the pic is in jpeg format, which most are.

You can resize your pic using your mspaint app, before uploading it to your host Photo site.  Or one of the members here will resize it for you if it's too large.

Also, if you see pics at different sites and want to use them, just click the pic, right click to see the url, copy url address, then come paste in our forum.

Good Luck!

If anyone has easier suggestions feel free to post them.

[PatH]

Rosemary, I'm pretty sure you're right, you don't have cardinals.  They're  large birds, the males very bright red, and the females olive.  They stay around all year.

An Englishwoman, Beryl Ladd, posts professional quality bird pictures on our sister site, so I'm learning the differences.  Your robins are different from ours, and your goldfinches more colorful.  Ours don't have any red.

Bellamarie, birdwatching is a real joy, isn't it?  My neighbor has a feeder I can see out my kitchen windows, so I get the fun without the work.  I have the same birds you do, though the population shifts back and forth.  Not many juncoes the last few years, fewer robins, more catbirds and mourning doves.  The doves sometimes build nests on my windowsill, but the eggs never hatch there.  And I have Carolina wrens--fat little brown birds with cocked tails that hide under bushes.

[PatH]

Bad news about The Woman Who Smashed Codes--it's not easy to get.  My library has 46 people waiting for 6 copies, and the Portland library is similar.  Neither gives numbers for the unavailable ebook, but JoanK just got hers after waiting several months.  The paperback isn't out yet, and Amazon charges $17 for the hardback and $14 for the ebook.  There don't seem to be used copies available yet.

I'll check other books.

[bellamarie]

PatH.,  Yes, birdwatching is truly a joy!  It can get a bit expensive keeping the feeders filled with the squirrels always invading them. Carolina wrens, now I need to see if that is any I am getting.  The robins were in abundance this past summer for the first time in awhile. The woodpeckers have only been coming for a year or so.  Certain feed draws new birds.  My Michigan friend captured a beautiful Oriole. I’ve put together a short video, and just love watching it. 

Thank you Pat for all the time you spend in tracking down a book for us to discuss.

Yesterday, I had my hubby stop by our local library to see if they had Silent Sky.  They checked all the libraries in our surrounding counties and finally found one in Columbus, Ohio.  They are transporting it to Toledo, which will take a week or more.  I guess I never realized how few older books are able to find in the library nowadays. 

[Frybabe]

I guess I never realized how few older books are able to find in the library nowadays

. For us folk who are not part of large city libraries, I have to agree, Bellamarie.

My branch library does not have a lot of space, so they opt for getting rid of duplicates and ones that haven't been read in a while (a year, I think) to make space for the newest. They do keep non-fiction books longer it looks like, but when those shelves become full, I am sure they will weed them too. They got weeded out last just before we moved into our new digs a little over a year ago. The bigger libraries in our system keep theirs longer, so our manager checks to see if there are other volumes in system before making a final decision to remove some of ours.

The book I just picked up at the library yesterday is an ILL from Slippery Rock University which is north of Pittsburgh. I had one last year that came from Kent State in Ohio. That one surprised me because I didn't think they could borrow from out of state. That one was well worth the wait (as this one looks like it will be). I much appreciate Kent State lending it out.

[BarbStAubrey]

No bird-watching for these two but they bring back memories of childhood that can still charm us over this very cold weekend
     - hope everyone is staying as warm...

[rosemarykaye]

Is that Bramley Hedge, Barb? I still have those books, my daughters loved them.

[BarbStAubrey]

Looks like it doesn't it Rosemary but it is a Chris Dunn illustration from his Bedtime story which is a series of these mice reading - some are a father mouse and a child mouse on and on. He puts some of his work on Tumblr

[rosemarykaye]

Bellamarie - thank you SO much for all those detailed instructions, which I will follow to the letter next time I want to try to post a photo. Brilliant!

[bellamarie]

You are welcome Rosemarykaye, I hope I didn't miss anything.  I have problems with resizing because I don't use my mspaint app to do it first.  I'm still learning as well.  Good luck with your book organizing.  We all know book lovers do not see our books as clutter, they are indeed a comfort to us.  I have to have at least one book lying around my living room at all times.  I just purchased two new bookcases before Christmas, my hubby put them together and they are on each side of my fireplace and big screen TV.  I haven't decided which books I want to place in the top shelves, so  I am just taking my time and letting it come to me.
 
Barb, love your pic, it looks so warm and cozy.,

Frybabe, that is a surprise to me too, that they can borrow books from another state.

Well, gotta get ready for church, you all have a great Sunday!

[BarbStAubrey]

Found some Brambly Hedge illustrations IN A CD - I had no idea a video was made - it must have been available in the movie theaters or maybe as a TV series... Here is the winter story - close to the illustrations - I still prefer the illustrations but here is the story and what happened when the snow reached the third notch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXl5zLu10r0

With all our cold and deep cold for us arriving on Tuesday I cannot seem to settle down for any serious reading - for now I am into light and how-to - mostly how to do more serious knitting - knitted all the grands and my kids socks for Christmas and the knitting bug has hit - plus I was fascinated to learn that Bavaria has a knitting style of its own and explains now some of my grandmother's knitting - her mother was from Bavaria - and so I am on the hunt and want to learn some of these patterns. 

Also there was a yarn on sale last year with 30% silk in it - the most interesting variegated colors and after it arrived it had a very different feel than I imagined - finally found a book on Amazon with patterns for that particular yarn - anxious now for delivery that will be on Tuesday, the day it is supposed to go down to 23 degrees - its been years since we have experienced that kind of cold - anyhow once I knit one thing with a pattern and get the feel and look and sizing I'm good to go adapting the yarn to other patterns I've used in the past - been years since I did a sweater but if I knit a few more socks, mittens and cowls I can work myself back up to doing a sweater.  I've always wanted to do a sweater in a Guernsey pattern.

I'm enjoying the Brambly Hedge videos 

[bellamarie]

I went to our "Remembrance" page and was unable to post this, so I decided to post it here.  I received this email and wanted to share it with all of you, whoever takes care of posting in the memory page could you please take care of adding this.  Thank you.

New announcement: Sad news for friends of Jeanne      
Sun, Jan 14, 2018 4:18 pm
 Seniors & Friends patzscott@gmail.comHide
To   bellamarie726 bellamarie726@aol.com
This is Ken again,

It's with a heavy heart that I tell her dear friends, Jeanne Lee passed at 9:00 AM Thursday morning, Jan 11, 2018.

Alice (her daughter) and I were at her side when she passed very peacefully. The last words she spoke to me Monday, were, "What would I do without you?" She paused a moment, took a breath and then said "I'm going to be with Jesus soon".

Her friends, her family and her faith gave her so much joy and comfort. She considered all of you her family. Pat, she loved you and thought of you as the sister she never had.

My brain tells me I will miss her less as time move on, my heart is not so sure. There will never be a day that goes by I will not think of her. She was a good friend and a dedicated mother.

Per her wishes, she will be cremated and there will be no memorial service other than a mention during Sunday's church service.

Ken Corson

email kencorson1952@gmail.com

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
https://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?topic=454.0

Regards,
The Seniors & Friends Team.

[maryz]

So sorry to hear of Jeanne Lee's passing.  Condolences to all who loved her.

[Frybabe]

This morning's Gutenberg find:

Ann Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (originally published under her pen-name, Acton Bell): http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/969

[BarbStAubrey]

Thanks for posting the notice Bellamarie - do not remember where Jeanne Lee lived but she was a faithful part of Senior Learn for many years - condolences to those who knew her as a friend and to her family. 

[BarbStAubrey]

Thanks for the link Frybabe - this is probably the only Bronte story I have not read so I need to save this link.

[bellamarie]

Barb, THANK YOU so much for the link to Brambly Hedge.  It is snowing once again here, and as I sit on my couch with my picture window blinds pulled back enjoying the snow come down, I am loving the Brambly Hedge Winter video you provided.  Oh how I wish our children and grandchildren would have more of Brambly Hedge vs ipads, ipods, and other devices that provide them with repetitive senseless apps they are glued to today.

Frybabe, Bronte is on my TBR list.  Thank you for the link.

PatH., how are we coming with a possible book to discuss.  No hurry, just was wondering if you are having any luck in finding something that would be easily available and interesting to snuggle up with, as we forge through the next months of winter.

[maryz]

Barb - notes to a fellow knitter.  I get a lot of yarn from KnitPicks.   Their "Wool of the Andes" is washable, and comes in zillions of colors and weights.  Also, for patterns and knitting help and conversation, I'd suggest going to  Ravelry.  It's an invaluable resource.  Happy knitting!

[BarbStAubrey]

Thanks Maryz good to know about the 'Wool of the Andes' - I've used Ravelry - I end up printing any knitting pattern I find on line and so prefer a book or even a magazine where I can keep the printed page open rather than sheets of paper that end up sliding onto the floor - What I really want to learn is various ways to turn a heel - I've always just done the deal where you knit the back of the heel as a separate flap in some kind of ribbing and then turn it and do the gusset off the flap - I am seeing others though that have a rib on top of the turn and others that do not appear to have any gusset - need to try these various heels.

Mary do you knit socks - if so how do you add another piece or color of yarn... I have always done a tight slip knot or I pickup leaving a tail that I weave into the back later - my concern is on a sock you can feel even the tightest knot and with guys they are rougher on socks and so I am concerned that simply weaving in ends will not be strong enough - Mary, do you have a secret way you add yarn while knitting socks?

[BarbStAubrey]

hahaha found this - perfect - cold cold so that not only is Austin shut down but the entire State of Texas appears to be shut down and so sitting snug in our homes knitting is just too perfect an image   

[ANNIE]

Barbara, when we lived in Austin, every January was filled with ice and low temperatures. And then February would come along and we would find ourselves on a picnic in the park and temps in the 70’s. I was always amazed by that weather.
Thanks for that link to Bramble Hedge. I have shared it with my grans.  They 💕 it!!

My daughter and granddaughter are both great knitters.  Of course my daughter has more time and she is always making sweaters for her new grans. Beautiful things!  My mother was also a busy knitter and I still have several things she made for us.  I was a crocheer and always making things for my grans.  They have everything I have made for them.  Also gave them those knitting spools when they were young and the girls both know how to crochet!

I too remember Jean Lee.  She and Kokomo Bill  were the first to welcome me to our old Seniornet. I know how her husband feels about passing. Yes he will always carry her in his heart.

I am going to look up Ann Bronte’s book. Thanks for the link , Frybabe!

Am off to Tai Chi!

[maryz]

Barb, yes, I do knit  socks.  I always have a pair going.  They're small and I know the pattern, so I carry than when I travel, in meetings, etc.  I use the traditional heel turn, and knit from the top down.  My daughter got me using the magic loop method, so I no longer use the 4-5 needles.  As to your question about knots, I try to do socks using one skein per sock, so not an issue. I use a lot of the self-striping or self-patterning yarns. But when I do, I usually knit with the two joining strands for about 8-10 stitches, rather than make a knot.  Guess that wouldn't work too well when changing colors, though.  You might ask on Ravelry and see if somebody there has a better answer. I'll check with my daughter, too, and see what she does.

[Jonathan]

I have a wonderful image of all of you, busy with your knitting needles. There's so much to be said for it. And it brings to mind the magnificent bedspread my mother crocheted while she was raising the six of us. A piece of art. A family heirloom. We've never forgiven Dad for contributing it to a church bazaar after she passed away. Did he think we would be fighting over it? He must have been certain that Mom would have been pleased, knowing that the highest bid, 5000 dollars, was going to support missionary activity.

And that brings me to a suggestion I would like to make for a book discussion. Would you like to read and talk about The Song of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel? Do you believe in miracles? We've had a saintly relic here, drawing great crowds, for a few days. The arm of   St. Francis Xavier, who lived and died five hundred years ago. It could be seen at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Do I remember correctly? Didn't Pope Francis make a pilgrimage to Lourdes not long ago?

The author, a Jew, found refuge in Lourdes, while trying to escape the Nazis. He has this to say in his preface:

'It was, I repeat, a time of great dread. But it was also a time of great significance for me, for I became acquainted with the wondrous  history of the girl Bernadette Soubirous and also with the wondrous facts concerning the healings of Lourdes. One day in my great distress I made a vow. I vowed that if I escaped  from this desperate  situation and reached the saving shores of America, I would put
off all other tasks and sing, as best I could, the song of Bernadette.'

My wife was a librarian and left me a slew of books, but was she sharp at finding the yarn and fabric shops in our travels! The sweaters she knit for me are still keeping me warm.

[PatH]

Jonathan, you're missing a chance here.  You should volunteer to be the test subject for the relative comfort of various methods of turning heels.

That's an interesting book suggestion.  I'll have a look, though I'm probably not the one to lead it.  The only thing I've read of Werfel's is about 2/3 of the play Jakobowsky und der Oberst (Jacobowsky and the Colonel).  My husband filled me in on the ending when I got weary of the German, his German being much more fluent than mine.  It's good, also funny; the two Poles, an aristocratic antisemitic colonel and a plebeian Jewish rug seller, stuck in Paris trying to get our of Europe before the Nazis get them, are forced to team up.  They're kind of alien life forms to each other at first, but come to respect each other.

It was made into a very good movie, with Danny Kaye as Jakobowsky, which seems to have disappeared from sight for copyright reasons.

[maryz]

Sorry, one more knitting comment to Barb.  This is what my daughter said about knots.  Hope this helps.
I just do the color change then weave the ends later. Don't usually do color changes either,  I might tie a loose square knot, then untie it when ready to do the ends.

[PatH]

My knitting days are long over, alas, but I still have the book that supplemented my mother's teaching--Mary Thomas's Knitting Book.  It's wonderfully clear, and very comprehensive, but I couldn't find the answer to Barb's color problem.  It does have three ways of making heels, though.

[rosemarykaye]

I recall seeing the old black and white film The Song of Bernadette one day when I was off school ill, (obviously!) many years ago. I was entranced. I have an Irish friend who regularly volunteers to accompany groups of disabled people on their pilgrimages to Lourdes - she says it is an amazing experience.

I would like to read the book, so long as (i) it's in English and (ii) it's not too long.

Thanks Jonathan for the suggestion. And how lovely that you're still wearing the sweaters your wife made for you.

Rosemary

[PatH]

Frybabe, Bronte is on my TBR list.  Thank you for the link.

Hmm.  Would anyone like to do a book by one of the Bronte sisters?  Or have you mostly read them and not want to dig into them again?

[bellamarie]

I would love to do a book by one of the Bronte sisters!!   Are these all the books they ever wrote?

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
The Professor by Charlotte Brontë

You can buy a used book of four of their novels for only $1.00 and shipping of $4.13.  I am going to purchase this, since I have NO Bronte books at all.

[bellamarie]

Jonathan, 

Do I remember correctly? Didn't Pope Francis make a pilgrimage to Lourdes not long ago?

Yes, indeed!  2017 was the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Fatima.

https://catholicexchange.com/the-100th-anniversary-of-our-lady-of-fatima

I would definitely be open to reading,  The Song of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel. 
PatH., I feel you would do fine leading this if you so choose to, and if not Barb would also be a great choice to lead, unless of course Jonathan would do us the honors!

Rosemary, I remember watching the movie The Song of Bernadette, in black and white as well.  This Saint has a very special place in my Catholic Christian Italian family.  My daughter, older sister and niece all chose the name Bernadette as their Saint names for Confirmation.  My younger sister named my niece Mary Bernadette. 

Cute story....... this particular niece, when she was only about six years old came running into her house while I was visiting and brought this gorgeous black and white kitten to me.  I said, "Oh my heavens, where did you get this cute little kitten?" She replied, "It's for you Aunt Marie."  The smile on her face was absolutely priceless, offering me this wonderful gift with nothing but child innocence and love.  I told her. "I don't think I should take the kitten, because we don't know who it's owners are."  She said, "Oh my neighbor said I could give it to you, they have more." Well, needless to say, I am sitting here looking at my sister with a plea of how to get out of this, saying no, I do not want a kitten.  My sister Sonta, could see my hesitation and said, "I think you would love having a kitten."  Well, so much for any help from her.  So, graciously, I accepted the kitten and Mary Bernadette says to me, "What are you going to name him?" I thought a couple minutes, and told her I would name it after her.  She smiled and said, "But he is a boy, you can't name it after me."  I replied, "I am going to name him Bernie, after your middle name Bernadette."  You would have thought I hung the moon with the look on her face and the hug she gave me.  I took Bernie home and had him for fourteen years.  To this very day I miss him terribly, he was the best cat ever!

So, now we have a few really good choices of books out here.  Let's decide and begin one come February! 

Jonathan, I can only imagine how much warmth and love you feel wearing the sweaters your dear wife made for you. 

I have crocheted and knitted since before my first child was born, forty-five years ago.  My best friend who lived across the street from me, decided she and I needed to go to a knitting bee class at our church.  We were in our early twenties, all the other ladies there needless to say were in their sixties.  They got the biggest kick out of the two of us giggling away as they taught us the stitches.  I made hats and scarves for my granddaughters last year for Christmas gifts.  They ohhhed and ahhed when they opened them hearing I made them.  I know the love that goes in each and every stitch, not to mention when making something like these for loved ones, you can't help but think of them as you work every single stitch. 

[bellamarie]

I ordered the Bronte books from Abe books.

[PatH]

Bellamarie, whether or not we discuss them, I feel pretty sure you will enjoy the Brontes.

Are you interested in getting a bird identification book?  I have been using Golden (that's the name of a series of field guides, not an author) and Peterson is also very good.  Especially good if there is one for your area: many state or local Audubon societies publish guides for their specific location.  Then you don't wast time trying to find a bird you won't see.

From Golden, it looks like you are kind of at the edge of the Carolina wren territory, but in a super cold winter you probably won't see any.

[Frybabe]

I've had Golden Press' Birds of North America for about 40 years. Never saw the need to "upgrade" to any others.

Pat, I thought I would look up Mary Thomas's knitting book in Project Gutenberg. It isn't there, but there are plenty of them around. They still print it, but I wonder if they update it for more modern methods and styles.

[bellamarie]

PatH.,  I became a member of a bird site called:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478&utm_campaign=2017%20Year-End%20Campaign&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=59755762&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_L83J0eN4kyybPSWg2bR7CYE7S-dgxZInXnvEU5rVy11WO0Ah0EB1bigGZlOPecN5I-Liak5lRxNWm2Ntr7V4Pu3wcKw&_hsmi=59756218

I am able to find many of my visitors at this site.  Thank you for the names of Goldlen and Peters.  I will check them out.

Did you know 2018 is the Year of the Bird??

In 2018, we mark the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the most powerful and important bird-protection law ever passed. In honor of this milestone, nature lovers around the world are joining forces to celebrate the “Year of the Bird” and commit to protecting birds today and for the next hundred years.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/year-of-the-bird/

[PatH]

My Golden is a 1983 revision, a present from JoanK, the really serious birder, but I don't remember when.  The only need for a new one would be that the ranges of birds have changed some with changing climate, and a few have changed names, moving in or out of being separate species as taxonomists change their minds.  But they still look the same.  Ironically, the Baltimore Oriole, Maryland's state bird, is now rare in Maryland, having drifted northward.

A big virtue of Thomas is the very clear drawings, which let you see exactly what's what and where the strand of yarn ends up.  I can believe it's outdated in terms of new techniques.  Somebody must still buy it, though.

[PatH]

Bellamarie, you were posting while I was writing.  You have found pretty much the ultimate authority on birds.  Cornell is wonderful for information, pictures, you name it.