There is something special about living in a small town, and that is beautifully expressed in Population: 485. Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, by Michael Perry. The author is a volunteer first responder in his small home town. Meet the characters he works with (they are pretty much on call all the time), and follow them along on some of their calls. I have always been impressed by those willing to put themselves in dangerous situations to save others and this book does not disappoint. (For other books on small towns, see the October 21, 2014 post).

This would be a nice book to read with At Home, by Bill Bryson (March 26, 2015 post). Where We Lived: Discovering the Places We Once Called Home: the American Home from 1775 - 1840, by Jack Larkin gives a look at what we used to live in. Big or small, outdoor or indoor plumbing (outhouses and commodes), heating and cooling, there was usually a reason for how a house was built. Wonderful old pictures and great text.

Continuing down this trail took me to Ruin: Photographs of a Vanishing America, by Brian Vanden Brink. As Brink traveled across the country he found himself drawn to abandoned structures and started taking pictures more for his own interest. I found it sad and intriguing .... who built them? Lived or worked in them? Why were they abandoned? Thoughtful, reflective, a rather nice 'look' (there are more pictures than text) for the last day of 2015, that sunny, cold, day while I was inside, next to the fire with my dog and a cup of tea.

Reading Hermit With Dog