The Art of Book Design: The Book of Saints & Friendly Beasts

Abbie Farwell Brown. The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts. Illustrated by Fanny Cory. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1900.

A children’s book full of stories about Christian saints and their friendships with animals. The stories are very loosely based on legends, but the author has spun them into fantastic folk tales of adventure. Abbie Farwell Brown was a prolific writer and published many children’s books, including a book about the Norse Gods. I rather like the idea of making fictional stories of the saints. I think it strips them of power and makes them easier to dismiss as merely characters in a children’s book, like Cinderella or Red Riding hood.

Unlike the graphic artwork in most books about Christian saints, the illustrations in this book are charming and sweet and very typical of their time at the height of the Art Nouveu period. My favourite drawing is St. Bridget & the King’s Wolf, followed closely by the energetic Saint Keneth and the Gulls.

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Jack’s Walk

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It was too hot at 9 am for Jack to go out. Our vet tells us that if the sidewalk is too hot for you to stand on then it’s too hot for your dog to go for a walk. And it was, so he didn’t. He’s been hiding out all day on the kitchen floor in front of the A/C vent. It’s his favorite place. It’s more or less in the center of the house and Jack can keep track of where we are. The floor is cool, the air is cool and it’s the place where we keep the food. C’est parfait, non? The photo today is of my neighbour’s lilies in the morning sun. Lilies are not one of my favourite flowers, but these guys shone their little hearts out for me so I took their picture.

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Jack’s Walk

Jack and Leo at the Park, ©voyager, all rights reserved

It’s another hot and humid day here and Jack and I only walked as far as the corner and back. Jack was a good boy and got his business done quickly (Good poop, Mr. Schnoop!) and then he turned toward home, anxious for his cool tile floor and A/C vent. He’s still limping a bit on his rt. leg, but you have to look closely to see it. I’ve been watching that leg from behind every day for 11 years so I notice the small stuff. One more day and he’ll be totally back to normal and hopefully he won’t get quite as excited next time he and Leo play together. This photo from early spring is Jack playing with Leo at the park.

Jack’s Walk

Mt. Joli with the Perce Rock in the background ©voyager, all rights reserved

Well, it’s not raining. In fact, it’s a hot, sunny day here which just goes to show that weather forecasting is an inexact science. Jack and I haven’t gone for a walk today partly because of the heat and partly because Jack got a bit over-excited last evening while playing with his best friend Leo (who is only 4 and half Jack’s size) and he’s limping a bit on his right back leg. It’s not serious, Bubba has a bit of arthritis in that hip and sometimes it gives him a bit of grief. Maybe tonight when the temp goes down a bit (it’s 30° C right now) I’ll take him down to the end of the street and back, but for now Jack has positioned himself in front of the A/C vent and is happily asleep. Our photo today is where Jack and I wish we were. This is the beach across the street from my mother-in-law’s house in Perce, Quebec.

Jack’s Walk

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It’s been ridiculously humid here today and it’s given me a good dose of double gravity. Even Jack was moving slowly on our walk this morning and without his usual wagging wiggle. He’s normally so puppy-like that I forget he’s 11 years old, but watching him this morning I saw every one of those 11 years in his plodding slowness. Normally, I’d say tomorrow will be a better day, but it’s supposed to rain for the next 4 days so it might be better, but probably not.

Jack’s Walk

Happy Canada Day ©voyager, all rights reserved

Last year on Canada Day Jack and I celebrated our 100th Jack’s Walk. This Canada Day we’re celebrating walk #358 …and still counting. We had a lovely, slow walk around our little forest this morning and I would love to show you a picture from there, but I forgot to take my camera. It’s one of those days when I’m just glad I remembered shoes (I have been known to show up in slippers) and water for the dog. To make up for the lack forest, here is a photo of Jack and I on our front porch as we wish you our annual Canada Day greeting. I wonder how many walks we’ll be at by next July 1?

Just for PZ (and assorted arachnophiles)

Lasz week I came up the stairs from the cellar and look what I found!

I have no clue what species this is, apart from “fucking big”, as it is about two inches across. I took some pics and then carefully relocated it to where it was less likely to lead to demands of “immediate violent death” from other people.

In case you’re wondering the strange surface, the previous owners glued carpet scraps to the stairs. If there’s a hell for bad DIY, the dude is going to spend eternity scraping glue off things. Pics below the fold.

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Jack’s Walk

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Our weather has finally warmed up and the past few days have been pleasantly warm and summer-like. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for many of our readers, especially those across Europe who are enduring a heat wave. Jack and I hope you find ways to stay cool, safe and hydrated. Jack says all you need is water – drink, splash, swim and stay cool. I say a little air-conditioning might be a good thing, too.

Jack’s Walk

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I’ve been low on energy for the past few days so Jack and I have been taking short walks close to home. Today, though, I woke up with a smidge of get-up-and-go, so we did. We got up and went to the river and I’m happy to report that the flooding has resolved and all the paths were clear and dry. Jack had fun splashing around and a HappyJack™ makes for a happy voyager.

Jack’s Walk

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These peonies are so fragrant that I could smell them on the breeze from 2 houses away. The scent was so lovely and sweet that I felt just like the person in cartoons who leans forward on a wafting smell and then creeps on tiptoe toward it. I wish I could share just how heavenly the fragrance was, but mere words wouldn’t do it justice and the internet can’t smell like peonies. Here’s a nice photo, though.

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