Ferida Wolff
Ferida Wolff is author of 21 children’s books and three essay books, her latest being Rachel’s Roses, illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. New York: Holiday House, Available August 20, 2019. 112 pages. 
Her work appears in anthologies, newspapers, magazines, in seniorwomen.com and in her nature blog, http://feridasbackyard.blogspot.com. A book, Chicken Soup for the Soul Married Life, contains two of her essays.
Visit her at www.feridawolff.com.
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Hydrangea in Winter; Passenger Pigeons, Extinct; Coping With Winter
It is the hydrangea bush, though, that is speaking to me now. I know some hydrangeas need shelter but mine have had an unsheltered life and still bloom. It reminds me that we all have things in life that are challenging and yet there is the hidden drive to blossom when we can, to let our inner selves support us until the right time comes to let the world see our beauty; a New Jersey Museum commemorates the 100th anniversary of the death of Martha, the very last passenger pigeon. more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Cozy Indoors, A Hawk in Suburbia & The Woodpeckers Return
We tend to make fewer fires than most who have fireplaces which means that the leftover wood in the cord is nice and dry for the next season/s. We discovered how wet wood can be really smoky so we appreciate letting the wood age. But what about the environmental cost of having a fireplace? Occasionally a hawk will come closer, just above our backyard trees. Most of the time the birds are savvy and disappear when the hawk is around, though not always. The woodpeckers found us again this year.
Cozy in Our Indoor Backyard
This past week has been cold and often rainy so I decided to enjoy our backyard inside. We stacked firewood from a two-year-old cord (now nicely weathered) in the fireplace in our den then added branches that had… more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Early Morning Clouds and Squirrel — Master of All He/She Surveys
I am not a morning person. It takes me a while to gather my energy so much of breakfast preparation takes place automatically. It’s a good thing oatmeal doesn’t need special attention. Just above and beyond was an exuberance of white clouds. It woke me up right away ... I felt a connection — to the squirrel, to what was being observed, to the larger sense of nature. It made me aware that the world is always different, depending upon one's view. more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Hidden Treasure & Hummingbird on the Feeder
It was the kind of day that helps a person breathe deeper, to set aside whatever might be on your mind, if only for a brief time. But that respite is truly a treasure in our frenetic world. And all it took was a short ride and the willingness to look deeper into what seemed like nothing special. I hadn't realized that hummingbirds were so territorial, chasing away other birds, even hummers, with their aggressiveness. These little beings were not easily intimidated. more »
