Washington | Book Girl & Little Bear

Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door by Thor Hanson

Conservation biologist Thor Hanson has done field research in Alaska, Tanzania, Costa Rica, and with mountain gorillas in Uganda, as well as writing a number of books, including some for children. Here, Thor explores his own yard, on an island in Washington state. Along with his wife and teen son, their acres house a wide variety of plants and wildlife, most of which he hadn’t previously observed.

This book is about how to observe nature in your own yard or neighborhood and what you might discover, from ponds and trees to soil, insects, birds, flowers, and much more. The book describes how and why to attract more wildlife and plants to your yard. The author also zooms, calls, or visits scientists around the world to learn about their projects and how citizen scientists have helped them, especially with iNaturalist and Zooniverse.

This book about observing nature and creating biodiversity was lovely to read to start or end my day, especially in mid-winter when springs feels too far away. I also enjoyed the black and white illustrations and photos. My gardening is mainly containers on the deck and doorstep, but I live near a creek, a neighborhood park, and other natural areas. I hope to spend more time soon being still in nature and just seeing what’s nearby.

Brenda

Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman by Patrick Hutchison

Patrick has a pretty good job as a copywriter in Seattle. But he increasingly feels like he’s missing out, as his friends and peers settle down, get better jobs, or do cool things like buy a sailboat to live on. Searching online ads, he finds a tiny cabin for sale in the Cascade Mountains. Only two hours from the city, and just $7500 (this is 2012). It needs a little work. Okay, lots of work. Patrick buys it, borrows his mom’s small truck, and brings a couple friends, some plywood and 2 x 4s, and a few cordless tools. Now it’s a base for hiking in the nearby national forest, and a place to learn to use lots of different tools and acquire new skills. With a camp stove and a propane heater and lanterns, plus an old futon, this could work. Next he acquires the tiniest woodstove, then a steep staircase is built to the loft, and so on. This memoir is very enjoyable reading on a cold winter day, as Patrick and friends make the cabin, though it has no running water, electricity, or Wi-Fi, increasingly cozy. A mudslide and some tall, leaning trees cause delays and anxiety, but in the end he has a new lifestyle and job. If you’ve ever wandered the aisles of a hardware or lumber store, or spent hours watching DIY videos on how to repair or create something, you’ll likely appreciate this memoir. I know Patrick will be working on more cabins, but I also wonder what he’ll be writing next. His website is here: https://patrick-hutchison.com/.

Brenda