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| The Books of Barbara and Hy Brett |
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Dear Earth 
DEAR EARTHA Love Letter from Spring Hollow by Radine Trees Nehring Hardcover, 164 pages, $17.95 ISBN 0-9636620-2-3 [ Buy ] A guidebook for everyone who has ever sought moments of wonder and closeness with the natural world. All About Dear EarthIt was to be just a weekend retreat, the cabin Radine Trees Nehring and her husband, John, built with their own hands on the land they bought in the Arkansas Ozarks. All they wanted was a once-a-week refuge from the stress and trials of life in the big city one hundred miles away. But the air, the forest, and the wildlife in the place they named Spring Hollow had a haunting magic they could never quite leave behind when they drove away every Sunday evening. The more they learned about the secrets of nature in their country hideaway, the more reluctant they became to part from it. At last they realized that their hearts were always in Spring Hollow, and that was where they belonged too. They gave up their secure jobs to devote themselves full-time to tending and preserving the beautiful but fast-receding natural world they had come to cherish.DEAR EARTH: A Love Letter from Spring Hollow is Radine Nehring's warm and moving story of coming home to the whole earth. It is a window on her special world in the heart of America, a gentle guidebook for everyone, everywhere, who has ever sought moments of wonder and closeness with the natural world--whether in the city or in the country. It is a joyful affirmation of her discovery that our earth is a home where we find comfort and love and a sharing of life, a home to be cherished with understanding and respect. Above all, it is the unforgettable story of awakening to and hope for the planet we live on. Come ... enter the world of Spring Hollow-- and be changed by its magic forever... Praise for Dear Earth"[W]ritten in a clear, warm voice by a writer and environmentalist who unabashedly loves her husband, her land, and her granite bench. Read it and dream."Booklist "Dear Earth is a love story along the lines of The Bridges of Madison County--with a unique twist!" Bonnie Bell, Host, "Rise and Shine," TV-5, Branson, Missouri "[A] warm and moving story of coming home to the whole earth." Country Almanac "An engrossing account of the ups and downs of a couple who cast aside the big city life for life in the hills. Nehring's book is a must!" Dr. Neil Compton, Conservationist and Pulitzer Prize nominee for The Battle for Buffalo River "Radine reminds us that dreams are meant to be dreamed--that woods are meant to be walked in--and the Earth is meant to be cared for. She is a wonderfully warm, descriptive writer who will have you sitting on her bench in the woods--watching and loving the things around you--and loving her gentle company as well. You should give this book to everyone you love..." Mike Flynn, Producer and Host, "Folk Sampler," National Public Radio "[A] delightful account of what happens to a city person who comes under the spell of nature's peace." Tulsa World, Tulsa, Oklahoma "Whether or not one is entertaining the possibility of following in the footsteps of the Nehrings, all will find these reflections of comfort. They reassure us that the land will be ready for us when we are ready for the land." Marvin Baker, Ph.D., Past Regional Vice President, Sierra Club "Her words evoke the beauty and surprises one finds in nature." The Benton County Daily Record, Bentonville, Arkansas "Many dream of leaving urban areas for the country, but can't make the transition.... This compelling story traces [the Nehrings'] transitional experiences, presenting an endearing account." The Bookwatch "Everyone who has a dream--or is a dreamer--will love this book.... Dear Earth is a special type of love story.... You will be enriched by it. And perhaps, no, certainly, you will be changed." Gravette News Herald, Gravette, Arkansas "Here is a pleasant journey ... an inspiration for readers thinking of seeking out a simpler life." The Ozarks Mountaineer From the Prologue of Dear EarthTHE THINKING BENCHSometimes when I'm sitting on my hillside bench, the rest of the world fades away. The falling leaf and scurrying lizard become more important than two-inch headlines, or even what I must do tomorrow. I can lie on my bench--it's a foot longer than I am--and on warm days its granite coolness feels good against my back as I look up at tree lace against the sky. However, most of the time I sit, content to listen and watch as a multitude of creatures fly and scamper, the wind bounces leaves on the opposite hillside, and ripple circles widen in the tiny pond where our creek pauses below me in the valley. The bench is, as I am, a refugee from the big city called Tulsa, Oklahoma, just a hundred miles away. It was left at a demolition site there, and I needed the help of good friends to drag and tug it through the trees to the edge of the valley below our house in the Ozarks. Back in Tulsa it is too easy to ignore everything but the necessities of a busy life. Time to commune with nature is not easily won there, no matter how great the reward. In the city the weight of concrete, metal, and glass makes the natural world difficult to find. Trees and flowers must be planned for, clouds are noticed most when a storm is forecast, and bugs and growing grass are often more annoyance than pleasure. Here on my bench everything easily fades away except the cloud and the tree and the flower. Beetles and spiders are marvelous neighbors working at living, and the grass, tall and unbothered, nods in the breeze. Even I can fade away here. After I sit quietly for a few minutes, the chipmunks and squirrels ignore me as they move about, doing their gathering and storing. Here, they are the ones who hurry, but I don't feel out of place in this landscape full of creatures at work. I am at work too, though busy with thought and not with hands and feet. Here, the big world has become my little world to think and dream about. When I read about a president who is away at a mountain camp, a prime minister who has gone fishing, or some other official who visits the seashore, I am always glad that they vacation. I hope that they are taking time to let this natural world, with its understandable sequence of happenings, speak as it always does. Then they must surely know, as I do sitting here on my bench, what is most important about our life on this beautiful planet, Earth. About The Author: Radine Nehring
A desire to share the wonders of her world with others led Radine Trees Nehring to turn to writing after she moved to Spring Hollow in the Arkansas Ozarks. Her award-winning articles have appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, many regional magazines and newspapers, and environmental publications.
An experienced reporter, she is heard in four states on her own weekly news program, broadcast from KWMQ Radio in Southwest City, Missouri. Her love for and interest in the environment has made her a popular public speaker throughout the Midwest. Radine Nehring was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she lived until she and her husband discovered the Ozarks and were touched by the magic of the land. In 1988 they made Spring Hollow their permanent home. [ Buy ] |
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