Gladys Taber (1899–1980)

Dogs, dogs, dogs. All things dogs. In the beginning of Especially Dogs, Taber writes a memoir of the dogs in her life, beginning with her first dog, Timmie, the Irish Setter. [As an aside, I cannot imagine putting a dog on a train! Her parents thought it would be a good idea for Timmie to visit Gladys when she got married, so Timmie made the trip from Wisconsin to Virginia in a crate.] To name a couple more special dogs in Taber's life, the reader will meet Honey, the Cocker Spaniel, and show more Holly, the Irish Setter. You might think she is obsessed when you read that, at one point, Taber had thirty-five Cocker Spaniels, three Irish Setters, and three cats, all at the same time. This was the creation of Stillmeadow Kennel with her friend and former roommate, Jill.
Moving further into Especially Dogs, the reader will get a primer on how to housebreak a dog, how to feed a dog (I had no idea oatmeal could deteriorate a dog's coat), how to introduce new or strange dogs to one another, how to make a dog heel when walking down a busy or distracting street, and even how to put your special pooch in competitions... the list goes on.
There is no doubt Taber loved her dogs. The love and humor in her writing makes that abundantly clear. This was a joy to read. show less

Ever wish that you could slow life down, turn off the noise and the chatter and just listen to the sea birds calling? Want to live in a place where you know everyone, they know you, and the neighbors bring you clams they dug on your beach? Have a desire to own a house that has a name? Well, I sometimes want all of those things, and I had them vicariously this week with Gladys Taber at her Cape Cod home, Still Cove, via this lovely book that whisked me back to 1970 again.

I had never heard of show more Gladys Taber, who wrote the Diary of Domesticity column for the Lady’s Home Journal in the late 1930’s, and Butternut Wisdom for Family Circle through the 1960’s. She is a very practical, down-to-earth writer, and the feeling you have reading her is that you are being given a tour of the area by your kind hostess, who is willing to introduce you to everyone who helps to make the community special. When you return to her cottage, she serves you hearty New England fare and lets you put your feet up by her fireplace.

I loved her descriptions of animals, particularly her Abyssinian cat, Amber. I frequently looked up from her book and eyeballed my own furry friend who was lying in bed beside me and thought…”She is talking about you.”

This book felt like a mini-vacation to me, and I sorely needed one. Many thanks to my lovely Goodreads friend, Diane, for introducing me to Gladys Taber. You can bet I will be keeping my eyes open for others of her books. I shudder to think I might have passed them up in the past.

In closing, I will print one of her poems that I found particularly moving:

I SHALL REMEMBER

I met two girls that silvery rainy night
They wore the raindrops as they welcomed me.
September grass grew delicate and light
Near the pale roses leaning toward the sea.
Scattering quail fled soft as falling leaves,
For Autumn lay across the narrow land.
And hearts accept--they must--but summer grieves
Abandoning again the blessed strand.

The house gave steady open testament
That much endures as seasons ebb away,
Wide-open doors, warm lights shone eloquent
Welcome for those who stopped--so brief a stay.

Summer is over, but tonight I shall remember
Two girls, the rain, and roses in September. show less

I have gushed all month over this book. It is a collection of letters between two friends, where they just chat together about their lives. Their dogs, horses, gardens, literature, children, and it was a wonderful journey through a year of their friendship. When I finished this book, I was sad. I didn’t want to leave these ladies and their stories to each other. I am so glad that our library system has access to many books by Taber, so that I can read more.

Two quotes that I loved, out of a show more million quotes that I loved.

“I never feel any older, that much I know. I hope I feel wiser and more tolerant and more full of loving kindness.”

“And the eye that has seen the wild dark beauty in the gaze of a fox is never going to be impressed by a diamond clip.” show less

Stillmeadow Road is a time capsule memoir about a homestead in Connecticut that Taber purchases with her friend, Jill. It's all about country living, each chapter separated by the seasons. Month by month Taber lovingly describes life in a farmhouse by the weather, what's happening in nature, how humans react to it all. Her observations focus on the trees, flowers, animals, and condition of the house throughout the changing seasons. Why do squirrels stay active throughout the winter? Why does show more it rain during dog shows? Why are storm doors so ugly? At the same time Taber injects social commentary about raising children, dealing with death, being neighborly, sorting out religious beliefs, remembering childhood...the story jumps between country-life observation and spiritual introspection. show less