Stillmeadow Daybook

The Stillmeadow books are not primers on how to live in the country. They are not truly biographies, nor are they meant to be political treatises, which I appreciate because it means they are not as dated as they could be. They are journals, well written, contemplative, and meditative. They bring a quiet sense of peace and rest in a busy day. The writing is lovely. The author has a gentle way with words and descriptions. These are books you can read a few pages here, and a few pages there, as you have time, without losing a thread of plot or missing vital details to a story. Those who enjoy nature writing, descriptions of country-life and a writer's inner thought processes will enjoy these books. I love sitting down in a busy day and spending a few minutes reading passages like "I look out past the great sugar maples that overshadow the little house, and on to the meadow and the hill where we planted the Christmas trees. The bottom of the meadow is a wild tangled thicket, half swampy, and there grow the wild cranberries and the dark wild iris and at the edge the wild red grapes with their sweet musky flavor." If this sort of thing makes you impatient, the Stillmeadow books are not for you. If you enjoy reading about the way 'now and then a secret otter follows the course of the hidden brook,' then you just might have found a home in Stillmeadow.

In this book, Taber is successful in taking us through the year one month at a time, season by season. One can imagine themselves living at Stillmeadow in the quiet, country atmosphere.Throughout the book, Taber muses on different subjects such as wildlife, cooking, bird watching, pets, flower arranging, weather, and other country items of interest. This is a book for anyone who enjoys living in the country or who desires to live in the country. It is a book to read at leisure so that you can savor it page by page.As a former country dweller and a now-reluctant city dweller, it brings back many fond memories of my childhood growing up in the country.