Does life get any better!?

I just came across the totally awesome text above while updating my "on my nightstand" link in the sidebar (also highly-recommended) and HOLY WOW, DOES LIFE GET BETTER!?

I realize that I'm completely exposing my geekiness by getting all hot and bothered about this book. But many of you know that David Allen Sibley is a bit of a hero in my world and the fact that he's now turned to trees is absolutely, unequivocally thrilling. (Hmmm...anyone else thinking I need a life?) But really, it looks to be a beautiful field guide, one that will soon look right at home on my bedside table.

Speaking of trees (mystical, magical beings that they are) I must mention the recent loss of the beloved old oak that lived a mere 30 feet from our bedroom window. Some of you might remember when I wrote about her playing host to the birds here. We learned that she had been cut down, along with her nearby evergreen companion, when we returned from Utah earlier this month and were met by her stark absence. (Kell's shirt was quickly smudged with mascara as I bawled myself to sleep.)

It may sound a bit strange, but I felt like I had lost a friend. She was a source of comfort and an awe-inspiring window to the natural world. We watched her leaves turn and fall. Herons and hawks perched in her boughs. She was our teacher...her swaying limbs reminding us to be flexible in life's changing winds. I LOVED that tree.

So the idea of bringing a book that details over 600 tree species into our home is a lovely one, representing a rich potential for imagination and introduction to worlds we've not yet met. (Here's hoping it was printed on FSC-certified and recycled stock, of course!) Perhaps it even contains additional insight into the characteristics of our beautiful fallen friend.

Switching gears, but also in the category of "things I'm over-the-moon excited about"...can't wait until this one hits theaters. SO GOOD. Oh, so amazingly, creatively, weepingly awesome. I so look forward to every laugh and tear that this brings.

Oh boy...Two posts in one day!? Let's just say I'm back on the wagon.