A true American shorthair

I'm not at all surprised that no one guessed the one and only human food our cat has been confirmed to eat. Cornbread is something we never would've come up with either. I would've expecting something saltier, fattier, sweeter, or, indeed, all of the above.

By comparison, guessing his absolute favourite plaything for the past five days should be a breeze. I'll even give you all a helpful hint and tell you it's naturally something that was never brought into the house with any intention of it becoming a cat toy.

Tales for males

A while back my sister posted on Facebook asking for "classic boys literature" to correct a perceived "girly" bias in her reading choices. (Emphasis on the "perceived" given that these included such thoroughly unisex picks as L. Frank Baum.) Recommendations poured in; as far as I'm concerned, she might as well have posted the heading "WHAT TO GET YOUR NEPHEWS FOR CHRISTMAS" over the whole thing.

Among the various suggestions which popped into my mind was a series of which I could remember only a few key details, chiefly that all the books took place during the protagonist's summer vacations in Grover's Corners, New Jersey. These days, a detail like that is all you need, as it's one Google search away from telling you what you have in mind is the Henry Reed series of juvenile novels from American author Keith Robertson.

So far so good. Sadly, though, Mr Robertson expired nearly twenty years ago and his works have largely gone out of print. I was hoping to find a second-hand boxed Henry Reed set and it can in fact be mine for the low low price of $98.14. A little steep for five paperbacks that collectively retailed for a third of that in 1980s currency? Never fear, there's a $35 choice with "three of four books... holding together with tape". Perfect for giving to young children! Or perhaps not.

I came to a similar dead end trying to track down a children's album. I don't personally recall Burl Ives' Animal Fair, but Burl Ives! Singing about animals! (I do feel strongly about the need for all kids to have some Burl Ives in their lives. AND NO SNICKERING FROM THE POCKET BEAR GALLERY!) Bad news is that the album is all but unobtainable. Good news is that all the tracks appear on Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck. Additional bad news is that a new copy will set you back $152.18 and even used recordings start at $37. ($8.99 for the MP3 download, but somehow burning your own CD has even less class as a gift than a ratty box of stained paperbacks.)

So, hmm, may be time to give nostalgia a miss and start exploring the best of what's available from this millennium.

WotD: pomander (ball)

1. der Bisamapfel
2. de pomander, de reukbal
3. la poma de olor
4. la poma d'olor
5. le pomander
6. y berbelen
8. pomander
9. 향료알 (香料알)
10. 香丸 xiāngwán

Notes: I don't know if I've made one of these since grade school, when I bloody-mindedly set out to cover then entire surface of the orange with cloves. (I was the kind of child which didn't leave the smallest bit of bread bare when spreading something on it.) That experience nearly put me off pomander balls for life, but while monshu was writing holiday cards, I was struck by a powerful desire to make the room smell more like Christmas. I would've preferred something more fragrant than the navel oranges available from the neighbourhood market, but I think a thick skin works better and good luck finding anything like a Seville there! It only took me a bit over an hour (not including time taken off for dinner) to whip out three of these babies, so evidently I'm better at not letting the good be the enemy of the perfect than I was in those days.