Tag: Staff Picks

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Migratory Birds in Wisconsin: the hope of spring

Posted on by Corrina

Dear reader, have you ever been going for a walk and you hear either an entirely new bird singing, or it’s one you’re familiar with but you know is newly arrived in the area again? Is there any better sensation? I love going for a walk and hearing birds, especially ones I can identify, because it feels like I’m amongst old friends, like I’m not walking alone.

You may have guessed already, but I’m a certified bird nerd! I’m the crazy lady you will see standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring up at a tree. I can’t read a street sign until I’m almost past it, but I can sure spot a bird in a tree from a good ways away! Selective seeing? Perhaps! The camera roll on my phone consists mostly of birds and cats. Let me tell you, dear reader, it’s an art form to follow a bird as it flits from branch to branch and even tree to tree! If you can get at least one good picture you’ve done well for yourself. It’s the thrill of the chase, isn’t it? I bet you talk to the birds too, just like I do, telling them to stand still for a split second, turn this way, etc. I hope to one day run into somebody in the wild exhibiting bird nerd behavior just like I do. It hasn’t happened yet but I’m hopeful!

Anyway, it’s spring in Wisconsin, so you know what that means! No, I’m not talking about the wildly fluctuating weather – did I see a frost warning for overnight on my weather app! Let us not speak of it! – I’m talking about migratory birds! Let me tell you dear reader, there is no greater motivation to get me out of doors after another horrid winter has come and gone. Hearing the songs of migratory birds is akin to hearing your old favorites on the radio. Along with standing and staring at trees, I also stand with my phone pointed into the air, the Merlin ID app recording a new bird song, or one I’ve forgotten and am delighted when I guess it correctly. This past weekend I identified a new bird in a nearby park, the palm warbler! You can learn more about this bird here.

Birds & Blooms Beauty in the Backyard by Birds & Blooms

Create the yard of your dreams with more than 300 gardening and landscaping tips from the pros. Learn how to increase curbside appeal with seasonal flair, attract birds and butterflies to your backyard, landscape with color, keep houseplants healthy, and make the most of small and shady spaces.

  • 300+ tips, hints and ideas from experts to help transform your yard into a showplace all year long.
  • Hundreds of stunning full-color photos make this a keepsake book you’ll cherish for years to come.
  • Container arrangements, décor and other ideas to make your front porch pop.
  • Seasonal secrets that guarantee a lovely yard no matter the time of year.

Bring the outdoors inside with tips for houseplants, crafty ideas and more.

Relish nature’s beauty all year long when you create a yard that celebrates everything nature has to offer. From landscaping with color and texture to attracting favorite fliers in every season, the secrets to creating your own sanctuary are shared in Beauty in the Backyard from the team at Birds & Blooms magazine.

Learn how to enhance small yards, turn shady spots into stunning areas and get the most bang for your buck with oversized plants and blooms. You’ll even find expert advice on house plants, front-porch décor, crafty ideas using nature’s bounty and so much more. More than 300 no-fuss tips, hints and suggestions make it easy!

Best of all, hundreds of jaw-dropping photos make this book a joy to page through all year long. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or working on your first yard, whether you own acres of land or a tiny city plot, Beauty in the Backyard is a book you’ll reach for time and again.

This book was a treasure trove of information! Even if you are just starting out with feeding birds, you can learn so much. There is a seemingly infinite amount of different bird seed out there, and it can be intimidating to figure out what kind to buy, can’t it? Even I’m still learning and I’ve been feeding birds for several years! There are also so many different kinds of feeders, and they each attract certain kinds of birds. This book will even tell you what native plants and flowers to plant to attract birds to your yard.

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But wait…there’s more!

Posted on by Corrina

Dear reader, concerning books, is there any greater joy than finding out a sequel is coming out in one of your favorite series? I think not!

This recently happened to me with two of my favorite series. The first is the On Devonshire Shores series by Julie Klassen, book three is slated to be published in December of 2024! A small town by the sea, rambling old houses, romance, a hint of danger, and family drama, but it’s all wrapped up in a cozy shawl you curl up with in your favorite reading chair. Dear reader, if you have not acquired a reading chair, let me implore you to do so quickly! A short second to finding out a new volume is soon coming out in your favorite series, is knowing your favorite reading chair is waiting for you at home, along with a table for a cup of hot tea.

But I digress! Getting back to that family drama bit I mentioned, this is the main thread in book three of this series. You see, there is the mysterious eldest sister that is hinted at in books one and two, but finally in book three we learn how she is doing in the present time and get to hear more of her backstory in her own words, rather than through the lenses of her younger sisters.

The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen

Disgraced eldest sister Claire Summers has been living in exile as companion to a stern great-aunt in Scotland. About to lose her place and longing to be reconciled with her estranged family, Claire sees an advertisement from someone looking for a “respectable female partner” in a Sidmouth boarding house. Is it a sign? She answers the ad, hoping she has not made another reckless mistake. When she meets the handsome, secretive proprietor, she wonders what he’s hiding and if he’s any more trustworthy than the nobleman who betrayed her years ago. Claire is drawn to him even though she fears he will reject her when he discovers her genteel façade hides a less-than-respectable past.

Meanwhile, the Summers family learns their great-aunt has died and Claire has disappeared without a word. The sisters rally together to find their lost sibling, but will their unexpected reunion heal old wounds and rekindle their bonds . . . or deepen the divide?

Return to the captivating Devonshire coast as the Summers sisters navigate romance, second chances, and the enduring strength of sisterhood in the face of adversity.

I started reading books in the regency romance genre last year, and haven’t looked back! It’s fascinating to read about all the different types of clothing – especially for women – as well as all of the societal standards and marital expectations. It really makes you think about all the modern conveniences we take for granted today.

Dear reader, this next series is something completely different, the Kamogawa Food Detectives series by Hisashi Kashiwai. Every once in a while I go down a rabbit hole of looking up a book on Amazon and at the bottom there’s a handy thing where Amazon shows you similar books that other customers bought, and before you know it I have several new, upcoming releases on hold at the library! Does anyone else do that and yet act surprised when they all come in at once? Please tell me it isn’t just me. No? Good!

Anyway, that’s how I found out about The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, the second in the Kamogawa Food Detectives series. The first book, The Kamogawa Food Detectives, is another you could shelve under the heartwarming category. People who have lost their way find the restaurant by providence – it’s poorly advertised on purpose, so only those who really need its services can find it – and have favorite meals recreated for them, bringing them back to a specific place and time, and by the time they finish the meal they have peace of mind and found closure, finding it easier to move on.

I distinctly remember the first time I had bibimbap, a Korean dish where bibim means mixing and bap means rice. I had just toured the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee with friends in winter. Once at the restaurant I ordered a Lavender jasmine tea, thankful for the warmth, but was even more delighted when a steaming and sizzling stone bowl of bibimbap was set before me. Dear reader, those crispy rice bits at the bottom of the bowl, let me tell you! That was in 2017 and I still remember it fondly.

I also have fond memories of waking up and walking down the stairs to breakfast at my grandparent’s house. Grabbing my favorite mint green bowl and filling it with apple jacks, or coming back after a day of adventuring to find the whole house smelling of my grandma’s stew, the little kids table set up in the living room for my brother and I, where our uncle would sometimes join us and make us laugh so hard we could barely eat.

We all have strong memories attached to food. In the first book of the series, Chef Nagare and his daughter, Koishi, ask as much about the remembered dish as possible, even the specific place and time it was cooked in matters, as there are often regional differences with food. By reading this book – and the sequel! – you’ll learn so much about Japanese food, as well. It’s fascinating!

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