Digging Spring by Elisabeth Hurley and Erin Sherman

The magical emergence of spring is delightfully written and illustrated in Digging Spring, a picture book from the author/illustrator team of Elisabeth Hurley of Skaneateles and Erin Sherman of Weedsport, New York. Little Ann is saddened by the lack of time her mother has to spend with her until she discovers the wonders of springtime in her own backyard, making new friends including Grandmother Earth. The team is particularly delighted with the response the book has received so far. Young children adore it, adults applaud it for its “clarity and beauty of language” and for its “fantastic illustrations.” A nine-year old reader said “I love that book“, and a fourteen-year old called it “a wonderful story of spring coming to life.”

About the Author
Elisabeth Hurley was born and raised in Germany. She graduated from Fordham University summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature and a Master of Science degree in Education. Read more

Feelings of Spring!

As long as I can
remember
I have felt
spring
in the first days
of February.
No matter how
cold it is,
no matter how
thick the ice.

It’s spring I feel!
I can see
snow drops
and crocuses
trying to peek
through
the hard snow.
And in my mind
I can hear
a robin sing.

It’s spring I feel!
Milder breezes
touch my winter skin.
I taste their promise
of longer days
and forsythia gold.
I smell violets
in mud
cleared from snow.
I feel spring!

Elisabeth Hurley
E-mail me

Thank You, Mama!

I dedicate this story to my friends who are overcoming huge challenges and tremendous grief and fear. -E.H.

THANK YOU, MAMA!
A Story About A Little Girl’s Grief and Her Victory Over Fear
By Elisabeth Hurley

Georgia had been spending almost all of her free time at her mother’s grave. She talked to her constantly, sometimes angrily. “Mama, why did you leave me? Why couldn’t we stay together here in our little village? Why do I have to go away and live with people I don’t know. Mama, tell me! Why, oh why?”
There had been no answer from her mother who had died six weeks ago, just two days after Georgia’s eleventh birthday. Anna Schreck, an immigrant from Germany and her mother’s best friend, would invite her for dinner every night. If only “Mrs. Anna” knew how she hated to eat, or, for that matter, do anything at all. Read more

A Christmas story

Christmas is coming. I have been going crazy trying to figure out what to give my mother. She always loved my stories. This is it! I am going to write something for her. Something that I know she will like …

It was last year. Mom had been in the hospital for two weeks. Dad had left us and was far away. I was feeling blue and didn’t even want to think of Christmas. Just the thought of spending the holiday at home gave me the creeps. The thought of spending it in the hospital was even worse. I hated being there and almost had to force myself to visit my mother. I couldn’t stand seeing her sick. All I wanted to do was run.

Thank goodness, Yoni was there. At least, he listened to me when I cried. “Why do all my friends live so far away? They are all having dinner right now with their families. How lucky they are.” Read more

What a morning!

My husband still
played golf last week
in mild autumn weather.
Was I prepared for snow?
Hm, let me tell you
just how ready I was!

Last night, driving from
a friend’s home on
local snowy roads,
I still didn’t make
the mind switch from
golf shoes to snow boots. Read more

Change in China

Together with four friends I joined a Syracuse Chamber sponsored trip to China. The trip, offered for less than a plane ticket to this far-away country might normally cost, was an opportunity I did not want to miss. A major reason for me to go was to see one of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China.

There were other temptations too, of course! Just imagine, being able to visit the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs, Tian An Men Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, ancient and new neighborhoods in Bejing; a canal ride in China’s Venice, Suzhou; the world-famous Longjing Green Tea Plantation, and the 64.3 ft-high camphor-wood carved Buddha in Hangzhou; the “Bund” waterfront park, and the “old city” in Shanghai; and learning about silk-making, silk-embroidering, and so much more.

Among all these fascinating highlights, the Great Wall remains my favorite. Read more

October morning

The wind brings a wintry chill
and the sky is grey.
The pedestrian walk
is a bit slippery.
Is there a touch of snow
in the cold drizzle? Read more

A precious gift

Driving on Route 20 from East to West
mountain views in my sight.
Mountains tall and rugged,
so different from our Tuscan-like beauty. Read more

Elisabeth Hurley - Bio

Elisabeth Hurley
E-mail me
Born and raised in Germany
BA in Comparative Literature
MS in Education

My background is in for profit firms and not for profit organizations and includes handling restitution claims of former Nazi victims; interacting with international art dealers, auction houses, and customers of a Read more

Jewel of the landscape

I look with wonder at this tiny fruit
that I could reach from my window
and pluck from its tree.

It is perfectly shaped and beautiful.
And the mystery that’s held inside
is a crab apple’s secret! Read more