The Shade Of My Own Tree

Beloved author Sheila Williams beautifully captures the bittersweet humor and vivid adventures of women who survive the worst life can toss at them—and fight back to claim their right to be free, to be themselves, and to live in . . . The courage to change doesn’t come easy. When Opal Sullivan walks out on an abusive husband after fifteen years, she has only her dreams in her pocket. Her new beginning starts in Appalachian River country, where she sees a bit of herself in a graceful but dilapidated house. Like Opal, the house is worn-out and somewhat beaten up, but it still stands proudly and deserves a second chance. So Opal opens her doors—and her heart—to a parade of unforgettable characters. There’s sassy Bette Smith with her cantaloupe-colored hair and four-inch heels; short-tempered Gloria and her devilish son, Troy; the mysterious Dana, who dresses in black and keeps exclusively nocturnal hours; a dog named “Bear” who is afraid of his own shadow; and Jack, who doesn’t mind hanging out with an OBBWA (old black broad with an attitude). It is Jack who helps Opal understand a funny thing about life: You can’t move forward if you keep looking back. . . .

Beloved author Sheila Williams beautifully captures the bittersweet humor and vivid adventures of women who survive the worst life can toss at them—and fight back to claim their right to be free, to be themselves, and to live in . . . The courage to change doesn’t come easy. When Opal Sullivan walks out on an abusive husband after fifteen years, she has only her dreams in her pocket. Her new beginning starts in Appalachian River country, where she sees a bit of herself in a graceful but dilapidated house. Like Opal, the house is worn-out and somewhat beaten up, but it still stands proudly and deserves a second chance. So Opal opens her doors—and her heart—to a parade of unforgettable characters. There’s sassy Bette Smith with her cantaloupe-colored hair and four-inch heels; short-tempered Gloria and her devilish son, Troy; the mysterious Dana, who dresses in black and keeps exclusively nocturnal hours; a dog named “Bear” who is afraid of his own shadow; and Jack, who doesn’t mind hanging out with an OBBWA (old black broad with an attitude). It is Jack who helps Opal understand a funny thing about life: You can’t move forward if you keep looking back. . . .

Starting over in the Appalachian river country after leaving her abusive husband, Opal Sullivan takes refuge in a dilapidated but proud old house while befriending a parade of locals.

As The Giving Tree turns fifty, this timeless classic is available for the first time ever in ebook format. This digital edition allows young readers and lifelong fans to continue the legacy and love of a classic that will now reach an even wider audience. "Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy." So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. This moving parable for all ages offers a touching interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave. This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein's incomparable career as a bestselling children's book author and illustrator began with Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. He is also the creator of picture books including A Giraffe and a Half, Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?, The Missing Piece, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, and the perennial favorite The Giving Tree, and of classic poetry collections such as Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, Every Thing On It, Don't Bump the Glump!, and Runny Babbit. And don't miss the other Shel Silverstein ebooks, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic!

The author of The Natural Shade Garden offers a comprehensive new guide to climate-conscious gardening—beautifully illustrated with 400 photos. There is a new generation of gardeners who are planting gardens not only for their visual beauty but also for their ability to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In The New Shade Garden, Ken Druse provides expert advice on creating a shade garden with an emphasis on the adjustments necessary for our changing climate. Druse examines common problems facing today's gardeners, from addressing the deer situation to watering plants without stressing limited resources. Detailing all aspects of the gardening process, The New Shade Garden covers basic topics such as designing your own garden, pruning trees, preparing soil for planting, and the vast array of flowers and greenery that grow best in the shade. Perfect for new and seasoned gardeners alike, this encyclopedic manual provides all the information you need to start or improve upon your own shade garden.

As we read Sitting in the Shade of My Own Tree, we feel the fullness of time, a life lived in the close company of others. Here are the poems of strong woman, a poet who brings grace and beauty to open our hearts to the familiar; the voices of family members, the importance of friendships, the pleasure of literary connection and the gravity of politics. "Death is such a sneak," Streznewski tells us, just before she writes, "I sit in the driver's seat." In her amazing poem Granddaughter's Moon, we are taken "far inside" a new-born child, a home, a neighborhood, the universe. What gifts! -Myra Shapiro, author of Twelve Floors Above the Earth What peaceful pleasure Sitting in the Shade of My Own Tree gives me. Marylou Kelly Streznewski writes with the gentle wisdom of family love and ripe old age. As one of her speakers reflects, "I have bargained with the Hag / bartered with the Old Man and / earned the right to stand here in the sun." These are poems to savor and return to. They cast a glow on the soul. -Lynn Levin author of Miss Plastique These poems chronicle a disappearing America, and the hope and heartache of having lived through the Twentieth Century. Simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking, Sitting in the Shade of My Own Tree looks unflinchingly at the world with a mix of humor and pathos and explores the possibilities of language to get it right. These are poems of human frailty and human hope. -Gerry LaFemina author of Little Heretic

Can a squirrel ever get what a squirrel wants most? The squirrel loves a particular tree (“MY tree”) and is happiest sitting in its shade eating pinecones (“MY pinecones”). But then the squirrel starts worrying. What if someone else wants to claim this tree, to call it THEIRs? So, the squirrel builds a massive wall around the tree. One that no one can get over. Perfect! Only, now the squirrel can’t see what’s beyond the wall. There may be a better tree out there, full of pinecones. Maybe even a whole forest of better trees … Believe every squirrel ever: the never-ending quest for MINE is sure to drive you nuts!