Books by James H. Austin

Find out what it was like to grow up in rural, Southwest Louisiana in the late '4O's and early 50's, such as:How we made it without electricityWhat we boys did for entertainmentWhat lots of families ate during those lean timesWhy most yards were grasslessHow we made our own toysButcher a hog; make lye soap; scrub chairsAlso, see what happened when a boy made a pet out of a young chicken, what happened when a boy's dog was lied about, and how the family milk cow changed the way a boy 'looked at things'.Go camping and fishing in 1950 and again in the mid 1990's and see how things have changed. Share some camping/fishing experiences that only happen once (thank goodness).Float down a winding, twisting creek channel with a boy and his Dad, share their biscuit sandwiches from a rust-spotted lunch bucket and listen in on bits and pieces of their long ago conversations.Watch the moon rise over a lake on a cool autumn evening; silently stare into a campfire, while being serenaded by hoot-owls and bullfrogs, until sleep takes over; then awaken to the sounds of nature greeting a new day.

A seasoned Zen practitioner and neurologist looks more deeply at mindfulness, connecting it to our subconscious and to memory and creativity.