It should be possible to exist with only a short shelf of books, to read and give away. After all - we may not open a book, once read, for ten years or more. But the act of reading has made it part of us - to relinquish it would be to lose an extension of our being.

Be wary of the horse with a sense of humor.

However time or circumstances may come between mother and her child, their lives are interwoven forever.

Horses lend us the wings we lack.

The trouble with sharing one's bed with cats is that they'd rather sleep on you than beside you.

Always smile back at little children. To ignore them is to destroy their belief that the world is good.

Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling.