Dear Earth: A Love Letter From Spring Hollow by Radine Trees Nehring.
It 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.
From The Author: My husband and I lived the experiences noted in this book and several of the chapters were originally published in magazines and newspapers in the United States and other countries. This continues to be the book of my heart and, though my husband and I have recently relocated from Spring Hollow to a condo in Fayetteville, AR, the new owners and their children continue the legacy and love of the area!
From Booklist: Thoreau thought it was fine to build castles in the air as long as we put foundations under them. Radine Nehring has done exactly that. She presently holds court on a granite thinking bench as self-appointed queen of Spring Hollow. In 1978, she and husband John realized their weekends in the Arkansas Ozarks were more real than their “real” lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So, the two lifelong dreamers purchased 12 acres in a dogwood-filled hollow and began a decade of double lives. They cleared a space, put up a cabin, installed a wood stove, dug a well, and became gentle landholders. Each weekend, they drove two hours to escape to a private Eden. There, like a veritable Adam and Eve of the Ozarks, they sought to understand why they love the land. There they learned the irony of spending weekdays busy as squirrels and weekends watching squirrels busier than they. In 1988, the Nehrings moved permanently to Spring Hollow where now John builds furniture while Radine builds books. This one is written 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. Patricia Hassler.
Book Review: Many dream of leaving urban areas for the country, but can’t make the transition. Radine and her husband built a cabin in the Arkansas Ozarks which was to serve as a weekend retreat: it quickly became more, luring them to quit secure jobs in favor of a country life. This compelling story traces their transitional experiences, presenting an endearing account. Midwest Book Review.
Review by Charles A. Burton, PhD: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Heartwarming and evocative. Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2008. Ms. Nehring’s book DEAR EARTH touched commonalities in my and my wife’s lives. I was a highly-paid software consultant, and my wife was a travel nurse. We made a lot of money that way. But, it necessitated living in or near large cities and being constantly on the move. We longed for roots and about three years ago, we returned to my native north Georgia to sink them firmly into the soil.
Radine’s book made me smile, and I often stopped to read choice morsels to my wife. “Honey, listen to this! Doesn’t that sound like us?” We shared chuckles and nodded at each other in agreement with the sentiments expressed. The discovery of new plants was a special connection for my wife, as she lived most of her life in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New Hampshire–much colder places with totally different plant life.
If you have ever read Mother Earth News and sighed with envy… If you have ever sat through a boring business meeting, trying to think of ways to break out of the rat race… If you have struggled to find a bit of nature in an urban environment… Even if you have made the break and now experience the joys and tribulations of a rural lifestyle, this book will touch you and make you smile.
Grab a big glass of iced sun tea and kick back on your front porch with Radine Trees Nehring’s DEAR EARTH. Go ahead… it’s a love letter to our beloved planet, but Mother Earth won’t mind if you read her mail.
Product Details:
Print Length: 164 Pages
Publisher: Brett Books, Inc. (available only from St Kitts Press); First Edition (May 1, 1995)
Language: English
Romance (Love Letter)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Earth-Letter-Spring-Hollow/dp/0963662023/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Order Autographed Copy Directly From Author Radine Trees Nehring:
http://www.radinesbooks.com/Order.html
Author’s Page At Book Marketing Global Network:
https://bookmarketingglobalnetwork.com/book-marketing-global-network/author-radine-trees-nehring/