Three peachy, healthy, intriguing things to do this week

Pick a perfect peach, or apricot, or nectarine . . . this is glory time at the orchards.

Explore Tai Chi or massage or yoga – or just visit the magical gardens during the Wellbeing Evening at Pine Hill Nursery on Wednesday. (See the Community Calendar for more details.)

Find a porch swing or a big comfy chair, plop a child in your lap, and read a book. During Sunday’s signing party at Brownwood, a half dozen regional authors had gems on offer. (Click on photos to see larger versions.)

Elaine Hameister wrote Yes Grandma, a Ladybug Went to Bethlehem when a friend’s grandchild played a ladybug in a Christmas pageant, and Grandma asked a perfectly natural question . . . . The story, illustrated by Bonnie Lemaire, is filled with gentle humor. As you might guess from the title, the work has a strong Christian theme.

Painter and ceramic artist Sue Bolt illustrated Gadoo: An Armenian Folk Tale written by Susan Kadian Gopigian. It’s perfectly gorgeous, and delighted an Armenian visitor at the signing. “Gadoo!” she laughed. “That means ‘cat.’ I know that story!”

Author Mary Frey and illustrator Betty Beeby both signed copies of The Legend of the Bleeding Heart, a tale of a poor prince and a remarkable flower with treasures tucked inside. (Watching Betty at work on the cover is what taught me the importance of exactly the right shade of red.)

Noted oral historian Glenn Ruggles was there, too, with the photo history he co-authored with Glenn Neumann. Elk Rapids: The First Hundred Years 1850-1950 is sure to surprise you. The charming little village was not always such a tidy garden spot.

Priscilla Miller, who writes about Alden for the Elk Rapids News, collected a treasure trove of old photos and golden memories for Reflections at the Water’s Edge: An Illustrated History of the Alden Area. I’ll bet it will remind you of stories to tell that child in your lap. (Priscilla has also written a children’s book that Mary Guntzviller is illustrating. She showed me some of the sketches for “McGillicutty: A Very Special Bear.” and I was enchanted.)

Davie Looman of Alden has written stories for racing magazines before, but his first book is Shempi: Earning the Right to Be Called Her Master, a memoir about a Sheltie who traveled with him on the race car circuit.