“There was a rule in town that everyone just knew. We never found out who made it up, it probably had been around as long as the town was. Moms had a way of telling us when to be home no matter where we wandered during the day. At 4 pm the McDougall's donkey brayed; Everyday, right at 4 pm.”
Chapter 1

“Resembling giant Lincoln logs, the cut branches became houses and forts. Next to them, we made huge piles of leaves and rolling in them, squealed with glee... Love for my friends, my acorn dolls, my dog, the deer, my log house, my family, my town, and this day, flooded my heart.”
Chapter 3

“One day, a terrible thing happened. Tears welled up in Grandpa’s eyes as he imagined himself back as a twelve-year-old boy, deep in the Adirondack Woods, around 1908. “A large pine tree had been cut, the men were rolling it out onto the ice to wait until spring for the river to melt, and send it on its trip downstream to the mill. My dad stepped on some ice that was not thick enough, falling right through...”
Chapter 8

“Our world was bright and glowing white; low rolling blue hills in the background; red, green and blue scarves and mittens swirling around a frozen lake, in a little town far away from the world. Sounds of laughter were pealing and echoing through the town like the 6 o’clock bells. We were all having the time of our lives, living in a 3D Christmas card scene.”
Chapter 9

“Jack and I each took a puppy, cuddled it on our laps, and fed it with a pretty pink glass bottle. Warm milk dripped out of their mouths as they too eagerly sucked on the nipple, stuffing themselves with their first ever meal. After that, we put them back in the box to sleep.”
Chapter 11

“Lofty lilac blooms bordered the main pebble path, forming a richly perfumed hedgerow of profuse, purple, star like clusters. Enveloped by my birthday fragrance, I skipped merrily along, luxuriating in heavenly beauty, finding a hidden surprise around each corner.”
Chapter 16

“We WERE Mohawks, listening to how the bear had terrorized a village made of bark homes, just as they may have listened in this very spot long ago. I could almost glimpse long houses nestled behind the thick forest of pine trees…”
Chapter 20

“Maybe life wasn't just about noticing, and appreciating the wonderful daily details. Maybe it was also about choosing to see the positive more than the negative, to allow difficult experiences to be a door to more awareness, to change; Maybe that is what growing up means. You really are in charge of how you want to become. You are the pilot of your own airplane, as Grandma Garland says.”
Chapter 21

“Lena and I had been best friends for two years now, ever since I moved here from Upstate. We lived in a new development, where every house had the same floor plan. They alternated facing different directions which made them seem more different than they actually were.

She arrived with her sleepover bag, and while my parents were distracted, we went out the side door, quickly coming back in through the little used utility room door, in front behind a hedge, hidden from their view. Climbing a wooden ladder, which was built into the wall, we were soon in our new clubhouse; the attic! There was a small window right in front, so plenty of light filled the narrow space…

Later, that night it was hard to go to sleep. I kept thinking about our new club and how exciting it was going to be. I wondered how the “Power of Positive Thinking” would work. Would a great case just show up?”
Chapter 1