Suggest a book contest

[stellinacadente]

So, I have started what  consider the greatest of my work in this life... (man, sounds so formal! LOL): starting a Book of familiy traditions for my daughter and the generations to come...

I have thought to dive it by seasons and have sections for a lot of stuff (holidays, crafts...etc.)

As soon as I started the planning thought i realized that I had a huge knowledge gap that was a show stopper (well, yes ignorance...let's call things by their own name )

I don't know anything about what vegetables are in season, what flowers blossom or have to planted in what season, nothing about trees...

Isn't it terrible??? How could we possibly be so detached from the Great Mother like this?

Anywho, I am looking for a book/manual that would provide guidance...

I have tried looking itno the farmers alamnacs.. but they are not the right resource for my purpose...

Any suggestion?

Prize: Your nickname (or real one if you are confy with it)  will be mentioned in the thanks of our family book and the generations to come will be thankful for your help

[Opsa]

Stelli,

What a wonderful idea.

Since seasons are different in different parts of the world, you may want to have what's blooming and growing each season for where you live specifically. I think that the best thing you can do is to be tremendously patient and simply observe what's happening outside each season for a year. That way you can take your time in including what's important.

If you want to speed thing up, you might start out figuring out the Hardiness Zone for where you live. If you live in the U.S. look here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ ushzmap.html. If you're in Canada look here: http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/maps/environment/forest/ forestcanada/planthardi.  If you're in Europe look here:   http://www.uk.gardenweb.com/forums/ zones/hze.html.

If you can figure out your zone, you ought to be able to Google what sorts of plants grow there at what times.

[Darlica]

Wonderful idea! Do you mind if I one day try to copy it?

As Opsa said when you do what is a matter of where you live, as is what will grow, bloom and bear fruit.

Spring and autumn arrives at different places at different times and it is to make things even more complicated not just a question of latitude (where you are in a north/south direction between the poles and the equator, it also has to do with altitude (how high over the sea) you live,f you live near a big body of water, if that water holds a warm of a cold gulf, if you live on a plain or in a area with mountains, the quality of the soil and many, many other things.

This means that, it will be very hard to find one book which contain all the information you want/need. Actually I'm not sure a book is what you should be looking for at all.

Perhaps you should see if you can find any "growers markets" (is that the right words?) I think it will be some around at least right before thanksgiving and try to make contact with a person or two who can either answer your question or direct you good sources.

And again as Opsa said observe maybe together with your daughter.

An additional idea; you could also mark the periods for the migrating birds, when different animals have their litters and so on that information should be easy enough to find through the net. Seasonal food with recipes might also be an idea.

Good luck with the research.

[Opsa]

I like these ideas. Maybe we could even put together an online book like this for the Toadfish family. Can we, Stelli?

Another idea would be to contact your local naturalists. If there are Nature centers in your area, or State Parks, I'm sure the rangers would be a fount of information for you. They may even have pamphlets to give you. The ones around here are really nice. They've made their life around observing nature and are just dying to talk to anyone about it.

Gee, I wonder how people become park rangers? Maybe I should have gone that way.

[Aggie]

Now that you've started on the book, plan to add to it slowly over time, and to involve each generation as it is passed along.

Plant diaries could be an interesting addition....  my parents kept records of their garden every year for a long time (what was planted, success of crops, dates to maturity etc). Dad also used to keep a diary when we had a cabin on the lake with things like the dates certain flowers emerged, when berries were ready, water temperatures, weather trends etc.   It's interesting to look back each year and see when these events are expected, and if they change depending on the weather.

Reminds me, it's mushroom season here (had one feed almost 2 weeks ago, so I hope I haven't missed the rest of it), and there's a lonely apple tree on a hillside that would be worth a visit.  I tend to keep mental timetables for these things.

[beagle]

When I was a kid there were a whole series of "Observer's book of..." books.

I had "Observer's book of Trees/Weather/Dogs/Butterflies etc etc".
Sadly they only seem to be in antiquarian shops now.

[stellinacadente]

I like these ideas. Maybe we could even put together an online book like this for the Toadfish family. Can we, Stelli?

Opsa, Darlica thanks for your suggestions...
I think I have a lot of research ahead of me but it'll be fun!

I live in Tennessee and there are farmers market around here... there one right by where I live...

I have been thinking about starting to learn what the plants are and then go for "nature walks" with my dautghter and learn to recognize them and observe them... after all observation is how human knowledge comes about!

I think the idea of starting a online book here or linked to the toadfish would be wonderful...

we could build a website dedicated to Nature and link it to the toadfish?

anyway, if anyone is interested in building this, please email me and we can start coordinating the efforts (FYI, I am a Project Manager, organizing and planning is my professional hazard ).

I really look forward to hearing from you!

ps: Due to living rearrangements, I might not be online very much during the next two weeks.

[Black Bart]

When I was a kid there were a whole series of "Observer's book of..." books.

I had "Observer's book of Trees/Weather/Dogs/Butterflies etc etc".
Sadly they only seem to be in antiquarian shops now.

Excellent books, essential for any child with a new pair of binoculars...probably where Bill Oddie started:

[Griffin NoName]

Could swear Victor Meldrew never had a beard.

Probably appropriate to apologise to stelli. We are very good at

[Darlica]

I should probably refrain from getting involved with more projects at the moment...
My #1 project right now is getting a job,#2 includes drawing zebras, #3 managing daily life...

But I'm always around here somewhere if you think there is anything I can help with.


Web based things are fun and so many people can contribute but a book printed or hand written withstands time much better.

I just got an idea:
How about starting with buying a binder, personalize it by (in lack of a better word) reupholster it with some nice fabric or fancy ricepaaper.
Make your own register with one colour for every month (the easy way is to take a 12 or 15 flap register and trace the outline of each flap on to one of the coloured papers).
If you are sure this thing will grow big, go for 2 or 4 binders, with either 6 or 3 months in each, making one for each season could work too.

Anyhow, using binders will allow you to put many different sort of material in your book, dried pressed flowers, drawings by you or/and your daughter, photos, articles from papers, handwritten pages and of cause things you've written on the computer. Scan or take photos of everything that isn't a computer file already and save in the "Book Project folder" in case you like to make a real printed book out of it later.



BTW I think you should buy a good pocket sized flora and fauna book, Wikipedia and other websites are goldmines when your at your desk at home but you can't carry them with you out and about.
Put a couple of blank post it notes on the last page and keep a reliable pen together with it too, that way you can always make bookmarks and notes and then do some deeper research once your home.

My mom did this when I was a child, I continued with it for many years (15 years or so) until the beloved book fell apart and I was pretty well-educated about what grew in our woods and lived beneath the rocks . I'm actually thinking about taking up the habit again, I just have to find a flora/fauna as good as the old one.

 

[Opsa]

Maybe we could have an online version by starting a Nature Log in the Beach area, here.

[stellinacadente]

Good idea Ops... and Darlica thanks for the suggestions, I think they are a very smart way to go...

I will start with gathering info and try to port on the beach area as much as i can...

and we can go from there I guess

[Opsa]

Okay, with Sibling Griffin's help we have started a Natural Traditions area in The Beach: http://toadfishmonastery.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=32&board=99.0

Thanks for the suggestion!