Me and My Shadow

Are you humming along? The ladybird/ladybug is on a sunflower.

For more photos visit:
Macro Flowers Saturday
Camera Critters
Macro Monday

Blue Skies

With big, thick white fluffy clouds. I can't help but look at the changing shapes.

For more views of skies from around the world visit SkyWatch Friday.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Synopsis

William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger, and a place where hope and opportunity were hard to find. But William had read about windmills in a book called Using Energy, and he dreamed of building one that would bring electricity and water to his village and change his life and the lives of those around him. His neighbors may have mocked him and called him misala—crazy—but William was determined to show them what a little grit and ingenuity could do.

Enchanted by the workings of electricity as a boy, William had a goal to study science in Malawi’s top boarding schools. But in 2002, his country was stricken with a famine that left his family’s farm devastated and his parents destitute. Unable to pay the eighty-dollar-a-year tuition for his education, William was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as thousands across the country starved and died.

Yet William refused to let go of his dreams. With nothing more than a fistful of cornmeal in his stomach, a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford and what the West considers a necessity—electricity and running water. Using scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves, William forged a crude yet operable windmill, an unlikely contraption and small miracle that eventually powered four lights, complete with homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire. A second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season.

Soon, news of William’s magetsi a mphepo—his “electric wind”—spread beyond the borders of his home, and the boy who was once called crazy became an inspiration to those around the world.

Here is the remarkable story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual’s ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.


About William Kamkwamba

William Kamkwamba was born in Dowa, Malawi, in 1987 and raised in Masitala village along the central plains. One of seven children born to sustenance farmers who grew maize and tobacco, his childhood was often interrupted by drought and hunger.

At age twelve, Kamkwamba became fascinated with electricity—a luxury enjoyed by only 2 percent of Malawi. He taught himself radio repair and began tinkering with bicycle dynamos, hoping to understand the inner workings of generators. During a devastating famine in 2001 –02, William dropped out of high school during his first semester. As thousands died across the country, he continued his education by visiting a small library near his village that was funded by the American government. After seeing windmills on the cover of an 8th-grade science book, he set out to build his own machine using scavenged parts from a scrap yard. His first windmill was made from PVC pipe, a tractor fan, an old bicycle frame, and tree branches, and powered four light bulbs and charge mobile phones. A second windmill pumped water for a family garden.

Local news outlets discovered Kamkwamba in 2007, which led to a stage appearance at the TEDGlobal conference in Arusha, Tanzania. It was the first time he’d ever been on an airplane or seen the Internet. The appearance at TED, and a subsequent front-page feature in the Wall Street Journal, sparked a flood of international support, and soon William returned to school and completed much-needed improvements in his village farm, such as adding drip irrigation to shield his family against future drought. He’s now a student at African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Visit William Kamkwamba’s blog.

My Thoughts

The first part of the book gives the reader a look into William's village, the people and culture. We also get a glimpse into Williams' early years as a typical boy growing up in a small African village. His inquisitive nature and thirst for knowledge are quite evident from the start as he and a friend set up a transistor radio repair business. William's need to know how things work really struck a cord with me. I remember as a child taking apart a transistor radio (and a clock or two) to see what made them tick.

Villages like William's depend on crops for survival and when the crops fail everyone feels the effect. Starvation is not a pretty thing but it is a very real part of our world. William's first hand account of the famine and how it affects him and those around him is heart wrenching. It will definitely make you more thankful for you next meal.

All of these events lay the groundwork for the construction of the windmill. I was especially intrigued by William's ingenuity at finding parts for his project. Take a look at the photo above and you will get an idea of what I mean. People called him crazy but he never wavered in his determination to complete his windmill. And even though I knew it would work I found myself holding my breath when it was time to test it for the first time.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind proves that one person can make a difference. This is a book that you will continue to think about after the last page. It is a story that will leave you feeling good because there are people like William in our world. This is a book you definitely want to add to your reading list.




The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

* Paperback: 320 pages
* Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (July 27, 2010)
Available on Amazon.com

I received a copy of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind from TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are my own.

Watery Reflections

Water, water everywhere! Visit Watery Wednesday to see more photos.

CSN Stores Gift Certificate Winner

Before I announce the winner I would like to thank the folks at the CSN Stores for making this possible. If you haven't visited the CSN Stores click on the logo above and see all the wonderful products they have to offer.

There were 710 comments!

And the winner of the $80 CSN Store Gift Certificate is:

#383

Shining 2 Save said...

daily tweet
http://twitter.com/shining2save/status/21372961905

Congratulations Shining 2 Save!

I have emailed the winner to confirm their email address, they will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Thank you to everyone who entered. I have more great giveaways coming so stay tuned. Also I am visiting those who entered and have a blog and/or facebook page. My internet connection has been down but I will be over soon.

Natural Attraction

The little Hover Fly was drawn in by the Livingstone Daisy, he seemed to enjoy the flower even more than I did. For more flowers from around the world visit Today's Flowers.

I am still having internet connection problems. Our service was down Friday evening and all that night. We were not home most of yesterday and when we got home our service was down again. I am so far behind on my visits to your blogs but I am going to try and catch up with everyone later today.

Hot House Flower Giveaway Winner

And the winner is............

6. fredamans said...

My favorite flower is any type of orchid, but I also love birds of paradise, dahlias, and roses. August 12, 2010 5:58 AM

Congratulations Freda!

I have emailed the winner and she will have 48 hrs to respond or another winner will be chosen.
Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. I have more giveaways coming later so stay tuned.

Take Me Home ......

Country roads, there is something special about them. The air is cleaner, the grass seems greener and you can't help but feel good when driving through places like this. The road is in Eastern Oregon.

Check out the other photos at THISway/ThursWay.

PS, This was to be posted last night just after my Through Squirrel Eyes post but I lost my internet connection.

Vapur Anti-Bottle WINNER!

The Winner is:

40. kyla g said...

I learned that it has an attached caribiner and a spot to write your name on it!
August 6, 2010 8:12 AM

Congratulations kyla g.
I have emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will select another winner.

I want to thank everyone who entered and I hope you will check out my other giveaways. Look on my sidebar for current giveaways.

Guest Blogger: Margot Berwin, author of Hot House Flower

This is my first time guest blogging and I want to say thanks to Judy for giving me space on this wonderful blog! I’m so excited—I get to reach lots of new people and actually say the things that I want to say.

A lot of people are curious about how I managed to get my first novel published. I have to correct them immediately and let them know that this was the THIRD novel I wrote and the first and only one that was published, so the road was rather…um…arduous. While I was writing Hothouse Flower I said to myself, Margot, this is your third book, if you don’t get a green light on this one, it’s going to be your last. Thankfully Random House bought it so I can go on writing and now guest blogging too.

I’d been interested for a long time in all kinds of paranormal experimentation. I’m a huge fan of Carlos Castaneda whom I did my graduate school thesis on (much to the chagrin of the fiction department). I was focused primarily on shamanism and various techniques of plant and trance induced ecstasy.

I didn’t know quite enough about plants at the time to write a book so I had to do a huge amount of research.

I spent a year in the south of Mexico and several months in Guatemala where I became more and more fascinated by the magical, spiritual, and scientific properties of plants-the way they could affect the physical, emotional and mental states of human beings as well as the symbiotic relationship between people and plants especially through, of course, medicine.

A lot of people including writing teachers will tell you to write about what you know. Personally, I think that’s kind of boring. The joy in writing for me is that I can learn new things all the time. In this case I learned a lot about plants.

But that said I couldn’t quite figure out how to write a novel on this topic without sounding annoyingly new-agey.

Just as an aside, the writer Michael Crichton who is best know for his novel Jurassic Park, also wrote a book or two on parapsychology. He wrote about things like past lives, demons, auras, and even some chapters about talking to plants. He commented that he could only write about these topics because he was a Harvard educated doctor so his credibility would never be challenged. In other words, it’s no easy thing writing about the magical properties of plants and being taken seriously as a writer at the same time.


Once I got past my trepidation it was a little while longer until I was able to find the doorway that would let me tell this story. Until one night I had the following experience:

I was at a birthday party in the east village for my very best friend; the party was in a hot, smoky bar, on a warm may night. It was very crowded so we decided to go outside and take a walk.

As we were strolling down the block I noticed an old, decrepit Laundromat. Not unusual for the neighborhood, except for the fact that this one was both open and filled to the brim with plants. I wanted to go inside and check it out. My friend of course had no interest in spending the night of her birthday in a Laundromat, so she said goodnight and I went inside.

Even though it was very late the owner happened to be there and I asked him why he had so many plants in his laundry. He said he was from Colombia and they made him feel at home. He told me that the mist from the washing machines and the heat from the dryers created a perfect greenhouse for his plants and he considered his Laundromat to be a greenhouse with some clothes going around in circles. He gave me a cutting and told me to come back if it took root and he would give me another.

I left the Laundromat clutching the cutting to my chest like a lunatic and I walked home the 14 blocks to my apartment. During that walk the entire book downloaded into my head like it was coming from a piece of computer software. I began writing that night and didn’t stop until the book was done. Now I had a place to hide the nine plants of desire, a myth I had already created, I would put them in a back room of a Laundromat in Manhattan. A place no one would ever think to find rare tropical plants.

And that’s the story of how the book really came about.


I would also like to say that one of the most consuming problems I had at the time of writing this book was a kind of desperate need to escape from Manhattan.
I was living in a tiny studio and I was experiencing an illness that everyone in this city has had at one time or another. It’s called
I-must-get-out-of-new-york-or I’m-going-to-kill-someone-itis.

I would lay on my bed for hours, avoiding both the thought of employment and unemployment, which I think is quite a talent, and dreaming about getting away. Beaches, jungles, beautiful men, blue, blue water. My brain was a font of stock photography. In fact a lot of reviewers have called this book escapist, which of course really annoyed me-this was my literary baby, not a work of escapist commercial fiction. But then I thought yeah, it kind of is. It’s a bit of a romp through New York City, the world of advertising and high fashion modeling, and then it moves into the magical world of plants and the rainforests of southern Mexico, so I’ve learned to live with the escapist description.
I was personally in the mood for adventure, so I created this myth of the nine plants of desire and I used plants as a way to discuss shamanism, magic and ecstasy. All of the things I’m trying to get closer to in my life.

Someone asked once me if I believed in magic and I said yes, it’s what keeps me going. It’s what keeps me interested.

I have this feeling, and I may be the only one who does, that as a culture it’s not only celebrity we’re after, or fame and money. But underlying all of those things what we really want is magic.

We have a deep desire for ecstasy and dreams and visions. We want to be surprised! We want gods and demons and spirits and myths. We want to dance around fires on sandy white beaches and sing until the sun comes up. So I thought a lot about magic while I was writing this book. And I came up with the thought that magic is simply the feeling of surprise. And that’s what I wanted for Hothouse Flower and the nine plants of desire. I wanted the people who read the book to be surprised.

Floribunda Rose and a Surprise

The Floribunda Rose

Abundant blooms of sweet perfume, silky smooth to the touch,
and intoxicating to the senses, floribunda can and will
fool you. In reality she is tough, disease-resistant, prickly,
and very hardy in colder zones. The proverbial iron fist
in the velvet glove of plants.

Hot House Flower, Margot Berwin

While not one of the Nine Plants of Desire a Floribunda Rose plays a part in Hot House Flower. And why am I telling you all of this?

Tomorrow I have a surprise for you. Margot Berwin, author of Hot House Flower, will be stopping by to visit my blog with a guest post.

Want to know how she came up with the idea for Hot House Flower? Come back tomorrow and meet Margot on The Road to Here.

This post is for Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a copy of Hot House Flower (click HERE).

Fire Dance

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)

For those who like a closer view of flowers visit Macro Flowers Saturday.

An Important Message

Cindi Lou Who here to wish all my friends a happy and safe Friday the 13th. Also, even though I shouldn't have to say this, remember that we black kitty cats are not unlucky. That is just a silly myth.

Meow and have a pawsome day,
Cindi Lou

Hot House Flower - Review/Giveaway

About HotHouse Flower

Margot Berwin’s sultry debut novel, Hothouse Flower, explores plant magic, spiritual discovery, and romantic fever in the jungles of Mexico—an adventure that finds its roots at a green market in lower Manhattan and in one very special Laundromat.

Lila Nova is a thirty-two year-old advertising copyrighter who lives alone in a plain, white box of an apartment. Recovering from a heartbreaking divorce, Lila’s mantra is simple: no pets, no plants, no people, no problems. But when Lila meets David Exley, a ruggedly handsome plant-seller, her lonely life blossoms into something far more colorful.

From the cold, harsh streets of Manhattan to the verdant jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula, Hothouse Flower is the story of a woman who must travel beyond the boundaries of sense and comfort to find what she truly wants.



About Margot Berwin

MARGOT BERWIN won a merit scholarship for creative writing from the New School and earned her MFA in 2005. Her stories have appeared on Nerve.com, essaysandfictions.com, The New York Press, and in the Anthology The Future of Misbehavior. She lives in New York City.

You can contact Margot:

* on Twitter – @MargotBerwin
* on her Facebook fan-page
* on her regular Facebook page





A note from the Author

The story is based on a relationship with my good friend Armand who was kind enough to give me permission to use his name on these pages. Over the years Armand taught me a lot about life and relationships and plants. I’ve taken some of that knowledge and created this novel. I would say that the circumstances of the book are fictional in specifics and very real in the abstract.

Take it for what you will. Read it in whatever way gives you the most pleasure.


My Review

Most of my readers know I usually don't review works of fiction but when TLC asked me to join the tour for Hot House Flower I did a little research on the book. When I saw "exotic plants" and adventure in the" jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula" I knew I had to read this novel.

It did not take me long to finish this delightful story. I liked the character of Lila, she reminds me a little of myself in some ways. Perhaps many readers will see themselves in Lila as she finds herself. There were times however that I wanted to shout at her to think about what she was doing.

Each chapter begins with the description of a different flower and the flower plays a part in the chapter, I really liked that. If you are expecting a steamy erotic novel be aware the hot and steamy is found primarily in the heat of the dryers at the laundromat and the humidity of the jungle. But the male characters are still very much the hunks.

One description I found (On Margot's FB fan page) describes the book as "Eat, Pray, Love meets The Orchid Thief in this rollicking debut novel about plant magic, spiritual discovery, and romantic fever in the jungles of Mexico." That pretty much sums up my feelings on Hot House Flower. Definitely a must have for your reading list.

Buy it! The book is available in many outlets including Amazon.com

Giveaway

Thanks to the folks at TLC Tours one of my readers can win a copy of Hot House Flower. The rules for this giveaway are simple.

1) Be a follower on Google Friend Connect of The Road to Here. Say in your comment that you would like to win a copy of Hot House Flower.

2) In a separate comment tell me your favorite flower.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents. If your email address is not on your profile please leave it in your comments. The giveaway will end at midnight PDT on August 20th.

Summertime

Anemone beside a small pond. Do you see who else is enjoying the flowers?

For more watery photos visit Watery Wednesday. Enjoy the great outdoors and visit Outdoor Wednesday.

Do the Hop!

I was looking through some photos from last summer and ran across this fellow. I haven't seen any grasshoppers like him so far this summer. He was really enjoying my Shasta Daisies.

There is a whole world waiting to be seen in macro. Visit Macro Monday for more photos.

A Visit From A Friend

It's been awhile since any of my little friends have visited this blog. This fellow thought Camera Critters would be the perfect time. All of the squirrels in our area are Fox Squirrels.

My Internet connection has been off and on (mostly off or super slow) all week. Looks like it is working fine now, maybe. I will be catching up everyone later today.

GIVEAWAY: Win an $80 Gift Certificate from The CSN Stores

Do you know about the CSN Stores? They have over 200 stores! Are you looking for dining room furniture? Make CSN Stores your first stop. There is a large assortment of styles to suit every taste.


Perhaps you are looking for something with a retro look.


I really like the clean, modern look of this set.

From cookware and bedding to furniture, CSN Stores has all that and more.


CSN Stores has offered to give one of my readers an $80 gift certificate which can be used in any of their stores.


Please read carefully. Leave one comment below for each entry. All spam entries will be removed immediately.

If your email address is not on your blog profile please leave it in your comments. You can't win if I can't contact you.

MANDATORY FIRST TWO ENTRIES

Go to the CSN Stores and tell me one item you might get if you win the gift certificate.
(1 entry)

Be a follower of The Road to Here on Google Friend Connect. You must follow publicly for it to count. (1 entry)

No other entries will count unless you do these two first.


BONUS ENTRIES
Leave a separate comment below for each bonus entry.

* Follow CSN Stores on Facebook! (1 entry)

* Follow SquirrelQueen on Facebook Leave your FB name in your comment here (1 entry)
If you want me to Like/Follow you back on FB be sure to leave a link to your FB page.

* Follow SquirrelQueen on Twitter. (1 entry)
Leave your Twitter name in your comment. I will follow you back.

* Tweet about this giveaway. Leave the link to your tweet in your comment.
(1 entry per day)
"Enter to win a CSN Stores $80 Gift Certificate at The Road to Here. http://tinyurl.com/2egqv4d"


* Blog about this giveaway. Leave a link to your post in the comments. (3 entries)


This giveaway will end on August 23th at midnight PDT. This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only.

GOOD LUCK!

Who Will be Holding the Bag?

Did you think I forgot about the bag giveaway? No, but my computer connection got so slow (if it was there at all) that posting was taking forever. The winner was chosen from the entrants to the Farmers' Market Challenge.

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 1 Non-unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 2 to 9 -- Unsorted

Job Status:

2

# 2 is Al!
Congratulations Al.

Vapur - The Anti-Bottle Review and Giveaway

Vapur is quite simply the most portable refillable water bottle on the planet. And by making tap water more portable, we hope to make bottled water obsolete.

Unlike rigid water bottles, Vapur is completely collapsible. This means it goes more places and fits in tighter spaces than any other bottle. Whether you are hiking the trails, passing through airport security or visiting the museum with your family, Vapur makes water infinitely portable.



Infinitely Portable
Vapur stands when full - but when empty you can roll it, fold it, or flatten it - making it easy to use and carry everywhere.

A carabiner allows you to attach Vapur wherever you like. And you can keep your bottles straight by writing your name on the back. We hope you'll always keep one handy - in your car, office, purse, briefcase, backpack... wherever!

Vapur can be sealed tight for packing and can even be frozen! Tip: freeze and use Vapur as a portable ice-pack or to keep water cold for a long journey.



Safe & Durable
Every Vapur is made from ultra-durable, FDA-approved, BPA-free polymer. Vapur is designed to withstand everyday use and regular cleaning. The inner layer is odor, taste, and stain resistant. To clean, simply place it on the top rack of your dishwasher then air dry as needed to remove any residual moisture.


Sustainable
Vapur flexible bottles ship flat so they take nearly 90% less space and use less fuel to transport than rigid water bottles. Our packaging is printed using wind power on 100% post-consumer paper. And we support water related environmental causes through participation in 1% for the Planet.


I received a Vapur Anti-Bottle to try and review. As soon as it arrived I started using it and taking it everywhere. My Vapur has been to the park, grocery store, post office and my backyard. Our weather has been really hot so I have been filling the Vapur about half way with water and freezing, then filling it completely before leaving home.

The bottle really does stand up when it is full. I also noticed that even when most of the water was gone the bottle still stood up. Once it was empty I flattened it out, rolled it up and tucked it into a pocket or my purse.

At the park one day I had drank all of the water, rolled the bottle up and put it in my pocket. When I got to one of the water fountains at the park I simply refilled it and I was all set for the rest of my walk.


The carabiner has been very useful. I can attach it to my purse or shopping bag easily so it's ready anytime I am thirsty. I can even attach it to my lawn mower. To clean the Vapur Anti-Bottle I just put it in the top rack of the dishwasher.

I am very happy with my Vapur, I will be buying more of them so I can keep one in my car and purse at all times. This is a lot better than carrying around a bulky bottle. I recommend the Vapur Anti-Bottle to everyone.



Buy your Vapur Anti-Bottle HERE.


WIN a Vapur Anti-Bottle!

Thanks to the fine folks at Vapur I have one Vapur Anti-Bottle in pink to give away to one of my readers.

Win your very own Vapur Anti-Bottle. Please read the instructions carefully. Leave a separate comment below for each entry. If your email address is not on your profile please leave it in the comments.

MANDATORY FIRST ENTRY
Tell me you want to win a Vapur Anti-Bottle and then tell me where you would take your Vapur. (1 entry)

No other entries will count unless you do this one first.

BONUS ENTRIES
Leave a separate comment below for each bonus entry.

* Be a follower of The Road to Here on Google Friend Connect. (1 entry)

* Follow Vapur on Facebook! I will check. (1 entry)

* Follow Vapur on Twitter (1 entry)

* Visit Vapur and tell me one thing you learned.

* Follow SquirrelQueen on Facebook Leave your FB name in your comment here (1 entry)
If you want me to Like/Follow you back on FB be sure to leave a link to your FB page.

* Follow SquirrelQueen on Twitter. (1 entry)
Leave your Twitter name in your comment. I will follow you back.

* Tweet about this giveaway. Leave the link to your tweet in your comment. (1 entry per day)


This giveaway will end on August 17th at midnight PDT. This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only.

GOOD LUCK!

I was sent a Vapur Anti-Bottle for review purposes. I have not been compensated for this review, all opinions are my own.

Tigers in the Sun

This is called a Tiger Lily. Tigers have stripes and Leopards have spots, why isn't it called a Leopard Lily????? Just something to think about.

For more great photos visit Macro Flowers Saturday, Today's Flowers and Macro Monday.