LOOK UP!

Tired of looking down and around at the white stuff that seems to have covering almost everything in our environment?

Then look up, at the sky!

But you say it's mostly cloudy these days?

Then we have a suggestion for you. Yep, it's another Bullis book:

The Orbs Around Us:

A Series of Familiar Essays on the Moons and Planets,

Meteors and Comets, the Sun and Coloured Pairs of Suns

by Richard A. Proctor

Published by Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1872

This almost-a-century-and-a-half old book covers a myriad of topics, all from prior-to 1872 scientific knowledge and research. Some of the chapter titles are:

"Other Habitable Worlds"

Other Inhabited Worlds"

The Rosse Telescope Set to New Work

Shooting Stars, Meteors, and Aeorlites

Professor Tyndall's Theory of Comets

The Sun's Corona

The Corona as a Phenomenon of Eruption

We hope we've given you enough "teasers" so you'll stop by the Bullis Room on one of the cloudy days we're sure to continue getting - and spend some time thinking and learning about our world beyond this planet. Then when the warm, sunny days and clear nights are upon us, and you can actually see what's up there, you'll have a better appreciation of the universe that surrounds us.

BRRRRRRRRR

Boy, is it cold outside. It's so cold that the Bullis Room feels warm today. (That's an "inside" joke, folks.)

So what to do on a cold day? (We're told there are more days like this to come, so we need to have a plan.)

Our suggestion: Stay inside and read a good book. Better yet, come to the Bullis Room and (with a Bullis volunteer to assist you) find a good book, nestle into a comfortable chair over by the window, and enjoy.

There are lots of books to choose from ... fiction as well as non-fiction. History, horticulture, law, engineering, mathematics, religion, astronomy, science ....

We hope you can find (or make) the opportunity to stop by sometime in the next few weeks. And while getting here may be a bit chilly, we promise that you'll be surrounded by lots of good, warm books. Can any of us ask for anything more?

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Two hundred and six years ago, a man who is still revered had a humble beginning in a Kentucky log cabin.  Abraham Lincoln  grew up to become a lawyer, member of the U.S. House of Representatives,  and the 16th president of the United States.  As president he led our country through the Civil War, which resulted in the preservation of the union and the abolishment of slavery.

For those of you who would like to learn more about the world that Lincoln lived in as a child, there's a Bullis book for you! It is:

Pine Knot; A Story of Kentucky Life

by William Eleazar Barton

Published by D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1900

It's a work of fiction, and its content reflects the lifestyle that had not changed a great deal since the time of Lincoln's boyhood. Some of the chapter titles are:

Granny White's Remedies

A Blue-Grass Christmas

For the Cause of Freedom

So please stop by the Bullis Room and spend some time in Pine Knot ... and remember the man who made such a great contribution to his country.