Roving Donkeys and Book Reviews

Peso and Riley back at home

We were out of town last weekend when we got a text from our animal sitter Nancy. She was on her way to do chores at our place when she met our trio of donkeys on the road. Apparently Riley, Cisco, and Peso decided to explore the world when they observed a dip in the barbed wire over the stream (which has totally dried up). This offered them an escape route up a steep hill and onto the gravel road.

Donkeys aren't usually so spontaneous. 

But having successfully ditched the horses (who are too tall to limbo under the barbed wire), the three headed north. I'm not sure what the travel plans were, but luckily Nancy intercepted the donkeys and walked them home. 

Doug fixed the fence this morning. We think. But if you see a trio of miniature donkeys wandering by, send me a note.

Also, So Much Sky was reviewed in a couple of nice places in July.

Kirkus Reviews said the book was "well written" and that "there’s a lot to be enjoyed and a lot to be learned from Weir-Jimerson, a Master Gardener and apt tamer of land, child and beast." 

I'm sure my kids will love that assessment of my talents, although I did sort of feel like a lion tamer when the boys were toddlers... On the Kirkus site, you can now also purchase the book through independent book stores.

The Midwest Book Review's Small Press Book Watch said this: "Far from modern civilization, one can gain a different grasp on the world. "So Much Sky" is a collection of essays and memoir from Karen Weir-Jimerson as she reflects on her life on three acres in Iowa, living with her husband their wide array of animals and livestock. Writing on gardening, rural life, and perhaps just life in general, "So Much Sky" is a fine and much recommended pick for essay collections, highly recommended."

So Much Sky: In the News!

Check out the June 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine which features a little news nugget about So Much Sky. 

You can also WIN A FREE copy of the book at the blog Rural Living Today. Leave a post at the end of the blog by June 14th to enter the giveway.

I'm going to Round Top, Texas!

I guess I should accentuate that statement with a "Yee Haw".

Through some sort of cruel trick of fate, I've never been to the giant extravaganza antiques sale in Round Top, Texas. But I'm fixing that life omission this spring.

The So Much Sky book tour is headed down I-35 from Iowa to Marburger Farm in Round Top. I'll be there from Thursday April, 3 through Saturday, April 5. Yep, and I'm driving down in a BIG vehicle so I can cart home something that I've fallen in love with. Hopefully it's furniture ;-)

I'm going with friends Sundie and Brad Ruppert who are regulars there. They are the masterminds behind the cool characters of Vintage Sculpture. I have a number of their pieces; my prize is the horse they made using real horsehair clipped from my ever-patient quarter horse Yukon.

Please join me at Marburger Farm near Tent G for my book signing times:

Thursday, April 3, 2012
10 to noon, 2-4 pm

Friday, April 4, 2012
10 to noon, 2-4 pm

Saturday, April 5, 2012
10 to noon

The rest of the time, I'll be shopping (and, no doubt, buying stuff too big to fit into my car...)

Book Signing At Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, IA

My next book signing of So Much Sky on February 4 from 2 to 3 at Beaverdale Books, a great little independent book store in Des Moines, IA.

It's being sponsored by Country Gardens magazine (thanks James, Heather, and Nick!!).

My last book signing was at Picket Fence Creamery where I was upstaged by a basket of Jack Russell puppies for sale. It's hard to compete with puppies. Darn hard.

So come to Beaverdale Books. But leave those puppies at home.

Iowa Public Radio: Talk of Iowa

Check it out! I'm going to be interviewed about my new book So Much Sky by Charity Nebbe on her cool talk show "Talk of Iowa" on Iowa Public Radio. I'm on Tuesday, January 17th from 10 to 11 am; a recorded version will be available for streaming or downloading if you miss it. ;-)

"Old Dog, New Tricks" Excerpt and Podcast

Our Border collie Rose was once the fastest thing on our farm. She herded sheep, cats, and anything else she could round up. Rose was all about control, speed, and eye.

And eye she had: One brown eye and one blue. This combo made her seem very intense. At least our sheep thought so.

Rose was simply a brilliant sheepherder. As her breed was created to do in the hilly Borders region of Scotland, Rose was eager and undaunted. She would run out to round up the ewes, her black and white body flashing a semaphore warning message. The sheep would catch one glimpse of her and panic, clump up, and run like one giant organism back into the barnyard. Rose followed close on their tails, urging them forward, steering them with precision in the direction she wanted.

Read the essay about Rose from So Much Sky or listen to the essay in a podcast. It's available to download for free from iTunes too.

So Much Sky on sale now!

So Much Sky is on sale now through Create Space, the printer and distributor of the book.

Although my book will be distributed in a number of places, this is the first. It's so exciting!

So Much Sky also goes on sale this week on amazon.com. More on that later.

Check it out on Create Space now!

https://www.createspace.com/3615731

So Much Sky

Okay, so I'm a slothful blogger. That's pretty obvious. But I'm back in the saddle again. Because I have some cool news. My new book, So Much Sky, is on the way. It features an awesome cover photo by Graham Jimerson of our Haflinger horse Sam standing with his friend a Katahdin sheep in our pasture. So Much Sky will be for sale on amazon.com soon.

So Much Sky is a compilation of 55 essays that were published in Country Home, Country Almanac, and Horticulture magazines. The book is organized into four chapters that reflect the seasons and the goings-on at our farm in rural Iowa.

I'll post more about the book soon. Thanks to everyone who has sent me emails asking about it.

Book Cover Photo?

Amid my other writing projects (oh yeah, and I'm trying to paint all our fences before the weather turns cold), I'm making the final edits of my book of essays about living in the country. The working title is So Much Sky.

My son Graham took the photo above of our Katahdin ewe and Haflinger Sam standing together in our barnyard one evening. It's a really awesome (and oddly bizarre) composition. As it's fairly difficult (okay, impossible!) to pose livestock (especially multiple species), getting a shot like this is pure luck. The sun rays shooting out of the clouds are a bonus. We have amazing sunsets at the farm, but this one is especially celestial.

My friend Sundie is designing the book cover using this photo. It's a horizontal photo that needs to go on a vertical book cover. I hope it works out.