Rabbit Hill

By Robert L. Lawson

Copyright 1944

Winner of Newbery Award in 1945

Rabbit Hill tells the story of a community of animals living on the Hill who are nervous and excited about the arrival of  new Folks moving into the Big House.  Will there be dogs or cats?  Will there be boys?  Will there be guns or poison?  Or, in contrast, could there possibly be a garden?  Times have been hard, and a garden sure would be appreciated!  

All over the Hill is heard the chattering and whispering of the rabbits, squirrels, mice and all their neighbors.  Each critter has been given a distinct personality.  Mother Rabbit is fearful and pessimistic.  Father Rabbit is proud and distinguished while Little Georgie is excitable and inquisitive.  

The new Folks do plant a lovely, large garden and after years of difficult times the animals become more and more hopeful.  The moral of this children’s book is more obvious than I remember when reading it as a child.  In the end, the Folks in the Big House plant a special garden just for the animals of the Hill,  erecting a statue of St. Francis in the center of it.  Beneath the statue are the words 

There is enough for all.  

Because of this generosity, the animals make a pact to not steal from the Folks’ garden.  Mole even promises to keep the destructive cutworms from destroying the harvest. 

If we look at the Hill as a representation of the whole world, I do truly believe that there is enough for all.  But that brings up the big question.  How do we get everyone to share?

The Happy Pixies’ Cookbook

Kitchen Fun for Little Cooks

A Hallmark Play-Time Book

I couldn’t find a copyright date in this little book, but I’m sure I received it in the early 70’s.  This was my very first cook book and I loved it because of the simplicity of the recipes.  As a very young child, I was so proud to be able to make some of the treats in this book all by myself.  I distinctly remember my favorite being Ronny Rooster’s Sugar Toast.  

“’Cockle-doodle-doo,’ sings Ronny Rooster every time we Pixies carry a slice of Sugar Toast to him.  We laugh to see how happy Sugar Toast makes Ronny Rooster.  Sugar Toast will make you happy, too.  It is just a little harder to fix- but not too hard.”

It’s hard to imagine now, but to a young child, reading the directions to a recipe, toasting bread, spreading butter on it and sprinkling a bit of cinnamon and sugar was a stretch of my skills.  Therefore, success meant confidence gained.

Recently, along with another woman about my age, I figured out how to use a circular saw in order to cut boards to a certain length for some garden beds.  I had no previous experience using any power tools before.  In fact, before that day I wasn’t even sure what a circular saw looked like!  But guess what?  Georgette and I figured it out and were successful (and safe) in our task!  Just like making Sugar Toast as a young child, learning how to use that circular saw meant confidence gained.  

I was reminded that I should reach outside my comfort zone more often.  After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Below Stairs

The Classic Kitchen Maid’s Memoir That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey

By Margaret Powell

First published in Great Britain in 1968. 

 

Recently, I borrowed the first season of Downton Abbey from my public library.  The contrast of the lives of the upper class gentry with their servants’ lives is fascinating, as are the attitudes each class holds for the other.  When I saw this memoir, written by a woman who entered service as a lowly kitchen maid in the 1920’s, I knew wanted to read a first-hand account of this period in history.  

Margaret was born second out of seven children to a poor family, and while she enjoyed school and had the skill and desire to become a teacher, she knew her family needed her help.  A couple extra years of school, even on scholarship, would be impossible.  While her family loved her, they were unable to keep feeding her.  At the age of 14, she went to work in a laundry, and a year later entered domestic service.  

She accepted this fate as her lot in life, yet was troubled by injustice.  Seeing the amount of food wasted every day in the upper class households brought to mind her hungry parents and siblings.  Her employers seemed to think their help were a different breed.  It would always surprise them to find out that Margaret knew how to read, much less that she enjoyed learning.  That is, if they ever found out.  Margaret notes that to many of the upper class, the servants were “invisible”. 

Mr. Kite, an older butler who had been in service since the age of thirteen, comments on his days in a large country manor.

“Well, they were so far above the servants that they literally didn’t see them.  I remember one evening when I’d risen to be a footman, I was waiting at the dinner table after the ladies had retired and the port was being circulated, and the gentlemen were talking about a very scandalous rumour that involved royalty, and they were all adding their quota to the rumour.  One of the guests remarked, ‘We must be careful that nobody overhears us,’ to which the host replied, ‘How could they overhear us?  We’re alone here,’ and at that time there were three footmen in the room.”

The mere fact that one was born to a particular social class clearly determined what they could become and how they should be treated.  As time went on, it was obvious to Margaret that this social climate was beginning to change.  War time changed things.  The upper class had fewer possessions and money and some employers began to see their servants as fellow human beings.  

Yes, the social climate has changed since those days, but I don’t think it’s changed enough.  How often is a person looked down upon because of their apparent income level?  How many more opportunities are there for the children of the wealthy to get a better education and a better job?  What about attitudes towards the jobless and homeless?  Have things genuinely changed that much?

84, Charing Cross Road

By Helene Hanff

Copyright 1970

The love of secondhand books is what prompted Helene Hanff to begin what would be a twenty year correspondence with the employees of a bookseller at 84 Charing Cross Road.  Beginning in 1949, she began writing letters to Marks and Co., looking for certain editions of well-loved books.   Yes, that’s actual post; not e-mail, IM, or text messages.  Fortunately for us, she kept the correspondence, so we now have a record of a sweet and witty friendship based on a love of literature.  

Most of her letters were answered by Frank Doel.  These two shared not only a love of old books, but also a similar sense of humor.  As time goes by and money and books and the occasional gift cross the ocean, a true friendship develops.  The hope is that one day Helene will save enough money to fly from New York to London to visit the shop herself.  She would love to meet Frank, his wife and daughters, and the other bookshop employees she had come to know.

These days, personal attention from booksellers may not be as common as when this correspondence was taking place, but it does still exist.  The local, independent bookseller is still able to give personal attention and will enjoy a conversation with the customer.  When I enter my local Anderson’s book store, I know I can ask for recommendations from employees who love what they do.  

Recently, I had a pleasant chat at Anderson’s with a fellow customer who was looking for the book The Man Who Didn’t Wash His Dishes.  She was looking for a copy to give as a gift.  It was funny that I had just blogged about the same book, so was able to remind her how the man eventually cleaned his dishes!  Unfortunately, the book is now out of print, but I hope she was able to find it used.

The love of books can be a great way to start a conversation, and perhaps even a lifelong friendship.  As Helene and Frank discovered, books have a way of bringing kindred spirits together.