CANDLELIT CHRONICLES: HISTORIC HAUNTS

March 2: Celebrate Dr. Seuss! Happy Birthday Peter Straub!

March 2 is the birthdate of Dr. Seuss! Today, schools, libraries, media centers, and parents and grandparents celebrate the birth of Theodor Geisel, the author who gave us Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, and SO many other books!. Were he here with us, Dr. Seuss would commemmorate his 106th! Since he is not here to, educators, librarians, and parents will celebrate on his behalf, honoring the author who gave our children-and ourselves-his love of learning, of the alphabet, and of reading and writing.





Here are some important links for you, my Gentle and Constant Readers, to check out. Some are from the National Education Association, which promotes reading year-round, others involve Dr. Seuss crafts. Come on, folks, we were all children once, and many of us ourselves read Dr. Seuss-did we not? So join me in a cheer for the man who offered so much of himself to readers!





http://www.readacrossamerica.org/index.php


http://www.nea.org/grants/13023.htm


http://www.seussville.com/


http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/marchholidays/l/blmar2nd.htm





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Peter Straub's birthday is today also. Yesterday I received his newest novel, A Dark Matter on reserve via the Library, and oh! is it living up to its advance reviews!





http://www.peterstraub.net/


http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=541402955&ref=nf


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As promised yesterday in the March 1 entry, each day I will treat my Gentle Readers to a rendering from the current day's novel production. Here is a tantalizing fragment from today's writing on The Haunted Greenhouse

Chapter 2

         Tbe Greenhouse had its own ideas about its purpose for existence. Unlike many humans, the Greenhouse knew it was put on this planet for a purpose; although it was not entirely sure as to the full extent of that purpose, it knew that there were reasons, goals to be achieved, and plans to enact. It was stretching its consciousness, preparing its readiness, almost time to make its way in the world. And what a change in the world it would effect! Oh, how the Greenhouse knew this to be true: because it had happened before-and before-and before. Many times before the Greenhouse had existed, and acted, and effected. Many times. This was just the newest in a very, very, long duration of its existence-sometimes invisibly, as when it waited for the right one to awaken its consciousness, sometimes visibly, out front and obvious. Now it had Rory-Rory Lewes and his future self, the Burnt Husk. Now the Greenhouse was, if not happy, since happiness was not accessible in its constituent elements, pleased, satisfied, ready to experience completion. Soon. Very, very, soon.











and from later on in the same chapter:


         The stirrings on this moonless portion of the night disturbed the brooding silence at the Greenhouse, too. Its latent consciousness felt and heard the goings-on at the old Jenks place, now after fully seven years without an inhabitant, a nearly inhabitable shack, where once had stood an inexpensive, unpretentious, but well-cared for farm home. The Greenhouse did not have ears, but it could see, and it could taste, and it could hear. Deep down inside its consciousness it recognized a low mumble, a dog's snort, then the mumble became clearer: “Choo, boy, choo, dog, c'mere now, choo boy.”

http://www.tibethouse.us/events/annual-concerts