We rarely get this much snow in Seattle, so when I opened the door the other morning, I was surprised to find these tiny footprints in the snow on our front porch, right up to our front door.

My first thought was a squirrel, but the prints were way too small (have your seen the squirrels lately?) A mouse, perhaps... the footprints were deeper than that.

"What else could it be," I said to myself.

When I started this business of miniature gardening, I was so focused on the tiny gardens that it took me awhile to expand my vision to include fairy gardens, railroad garden layouts, terrariums and other forms of miniature gardening. I gradually met these fellow mini gardeners after several years doing the local street markets around the city, and I learned from them as much as they learned from me.

But it was the fairy gardeners that surprised me the most. It was their level of believing and their dedication to their fairy garden that was truly amazing. Fairy gardeners love the details but don't dwell on them. They love the plants but don't dote on them. They love to share their garden with others too. But, most of all, they love their fairies because the fairies are the reason they are gardening.

In my studies of fairy gardens, as with any of my studies, I tend to glam onto one book that excites me. I pour through it, wanting all the information to be permanently downloaded into my brain forever. I usually start my search at the local library, then, pick a favorite book to buy for my own reference library.

The current favorite that has been on my nightstand for a couple of weeks now is "The Fairy Bible: The Definitive Guide to the World of Fairies," by Teresa Moorey. Just published this year, it is very well done in short chapters so you can quickly find your answers. The illustrations are varied and plentiful, and the quantity of information is delightful.

Moorey discusses all types of fairies, mythologies, meditations, spells and much, much more. She includes their co-inhabitants too, Father Frost, Wind Sprites, Snow Queens and other fantastical creatures. All of this is crammed into a small format book, 6-and-a-half inches by 5-and-a-half inches and is just shy of 400 pages. Moorey purposefully kept the small format so you could take the book on fairy hunting expeditions if you want too.

Now back to those footprints in the snow. There were two sets of prints, and they are a left-right formation. They were too deep for a mouse, way too many cats on the block for that, and too deep, and too neat, for a squirrel. What do you believe?

Visit Janit's Web site; http://www.TwoGreenThumbs.com. Her online store is http://www.shop.TwoGreenThumbs.com., info@TwoGreenThumbs.com, 206-352-0494.