Finding the Line

Book excerpt: With the eye of a naturalist and the pen of a philosopher, Brenda Peddigrew invites us to share the beauty of her home, which rests along the bank of the Little Kennissis River in the beautiful Algonquin Highlands of Ontario, Canada. She immerses us in the wonder of changing seasons, weather, and daylight through essays with titles like Pursuing Silence, Seasonal Cleaning, Living the River, and Every Day the Same Walk. Each essay delivers a succinct and well-crafted verbal picture of her rural surroundings and then paves the way for a universal, deeper delving into every man and every womans life. How can we become stronger by weathering a harsh winter? What if we did the same walk every day and really, truly saw the miracle of daily change? Why not cleanse ourselves at the turn of the seasons? Th is is a book that shows a profound sense of place in the style of classic nature writers like Sigurd Olson and Aldo Leopold. It reminds us of the gifts and insights that come from the simple ritual of going outside our own door every day with our powers of observation on full alert. Ann Linnea: author of Teaching Kids to Love the Earth Deep Water Passagea Spiritual Journey at Midlife Keepers of the Treesa Guide to Re-Greening North America