Spring Reading

We use our Public and County Libraries a lot in this bookish little family of mine- so much so that sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. Ahem. (they let you check out so many! And it’s free! what’s one more? picture me hidden behind the stack of books in my arms…) So lately I’ve given myself a 3-book maximum rule: One for research, one to read, one for fun. It works out pretty good, too- two libraries, once a week or two, 6 books. More if my husband brings something good home. It can overlap though- right now I’ve got 7 books to post on the reading list to the right over there (they are going back this weekend) to be replaced by the 6 I picked up last night (holds that came in midweek are too tempting to leave at the library!). I’ll order books I see in the bookstores, or titles I find recommended in my blog reading online. With so many titles lying around I thought I’d round them up and make a list!

Julie Czerneda’s A Turn of Light- This is so good! Wishing Magic, with invisible Dragons, armored House Toads, traveling Gypsies, and pie…all against a backdrop of Frontier Homesteading and Doorways to the Otherside. Yummy.

Marie Brennan’s A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent- Alternative Victorian fanciful piece with Dragons  of all sorts, a tragic love story, Russian folklore, and even a  bit of amateur sleuthing? It was read in a mere 4 days- worth every second of lost sleep!

Mark Alan Hewitt’s Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms- Lovely pictures and line drawing of the houses, furniture and landscapes of the Arts and Crafts movement, some background info of how it came to be, and an in-depth look at the attempt of one man to create a Utopian community.

Michelle Obama’s American Grown; The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America- I’m enjoying this for all the information and background on kitchen gardens, the White House Gardens in general, and the impact food has on our health and well-being.

Bob Thomson’s The New Victory Garden- Love this one! Broken down by month, with colour pictures and beautiful line drawings, this is a gold mine of gardening information, with a little bit of personal history that keeps it from being a dry text book.

Gladys Taber’s The Book of Stillmeadow- A personal account from the 1930’s of running away to live in the country. Susan Branch quotes her constantly in her books and artwork, so I wanted to see what she has to offer. Lovely anecdotal and lyrical writing, and bits are truly funny- she has a ton more that I might check out too.

Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone- A really big, heavy book (not convenient for reading in bed) with lots of really good ideas, some simple, some rather complex looking. Why do these vegetarian books always work out to be behemoths? Vast encyclopedic monstrosities with every single recipe the author can think of, very few (if any) pictures, and rather a lot more commentary and “instruction” than I want to wade through. I am finding ideas, but it’s taking forever to get through it, and I get bored every other page. Very disappointing really. 

So there you have it- some research, some reading, some fun (some not so fun…but necessary). What can I say?

I love to read.

Summer’s coming…

It’s just around the corner- can you feel it? We certainly can…heat spells, dry skin, brown hills, sleepy cats. Time to start making lists and gathering supplies:

• Summer menu planning- vegetables, grilling, sides and snack ideas; lunchtime for two (instead of one- it takes planning and a bit of creativity to avoid the lunchtime slump!) and lots of picnics outside.
• Redecorating- lightening it up, storing away the fall/winter things, pulling together a beachy inspired look (or a summer-camp feel: stripes and cots, enamel and folding chairs anyone?)
• The summer itinerary- daytrips, local sightseeing, thrifting expeditions, hiking plans, maybe a new restaurant or two. Summer movies, our birthdays, a trip to the beach (definitely missed that last year), the county fair…
• A new daily schedule- time for my work (sewing projects, quilting, blogging, a new Faery Tale perhaps?), his work (new class prep for the Fall semester, website design, gaming research, bike tinkering, and working on his book), household chores, new hobbies to try out, reschedule the daily exercise (early morning or late afternoon is better in the coming heat).
• Time to make the summer reading and movie lists- libraries (public and county are really good here for books and movies both), used book stores, thrift stores, hobby stores, and our own bookshelves (I love to reread certain series every year)- not to mention all the summer movies about to explode on the scene.

I’m really looking forward to Summer- such a fun time of year! So much to do and see, it’s great to get a headstart on the fun by doing a little daydreaming and planning prepwork.

A New Chapter

It's been feeling like I've turned the page recently, and started a new chapter in my life. Some things which never really made sense are now clear; old hurts- don’t hurt as much anymore; old ways of thinking are suddenly replaced with new, healthier ones. I woke up one day and found that I have become a Quilter:
     

This is Ray’s Four-Square Quilt…I made it yesterday. No, it’s not a full size quilt, more of a lap quilt, and no it doesn't have it’s label yet, but it will get done this weekend. It was more important to finish it in time for Dad’s birthday party (which admittedly was a week early, but hey- who cares when it’s a party?!) So I went and picked out some blue flannel fabric Wednesday evening, cut it out Thursday morning, pieced it Thursday mid-morning, and sewed it all together Thursday afternoon. Whew! And suddenly there was a quilt on my work table, where just 7 hours before there had only been a few strips of cloth.
May is turning into the month of quilts- I’ve started my next one already, not counting dad’s. This one is all pretty pinks, greens and lavenders in a Log Cabin pattern- I’m calling it the Alchemy Quilt because combining all the different colours and patterns makes me feel like a medieval Alchemyst:

Combining all these different components to make a brand new…thing is rather awe inspiring in a way. It’s like that in my cooking, too. All my recipes are different now- Diabetes is changing my life in so many different ways it’s hard to keep up with it all. Next week I’ll be reworking my Menu Planning Binder, and working on a couple of recipe ideas all my research has inspired. Today’s Grand Experiment is Hummus (the Garbanzo Beans are soaked and cooked and ready to blitz) and Black Bean Burgers (cakes? patties? fritters? not sure what to call them- other than good! But the recipe needs tweaking- it’s stability is a bit…lacking shall we say?) so it’s off to the kitchen for now.
Funny how one person’s drudgery is another’s bliss…

May Day Musings

May Day is a favorite of mine- the sun is out, the flowers are in bloom, the days are that much longer… it’s Spring! Winter is officially past, something to dream and plan about for the future. Summer is coming and now is the time to air out the musty corners of the house and begin laying in supplies for the hot months to come. Perfect weather for long weekend hikes, tramping about the countryside before it gets too hot, trips to the garden shop for herbs and flowers, and rambling visits to the thrift stores for new old stuff for the secret garden.

- Last month was a good one for getting things finished, and setting up new routines. It felt so good to get the Watercolour Quilt done!

- The next quilt is still in the set up phase- it will take a little longer to cut the pieces for this one, there is so many!  It wouldn’t do to get hurt again.

- There is a lot more of this kind of prep work going on- yummy veggies are even  yummier cooked swiftly:

Lots more of this going on, too!

(she likes having her picture taken- it means momma is paying her extra special attention!)

- There have been lots of trips to the libraries- too many books, quite frankly, are being brought home! My favorites this week are: Weelicious by Catherine McCord; Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison; Glamping with MaryJane byMaryJane Butters; and Sew What You Love by Tanya Whelan.

- There was some early season thrifting done last month as well- finally found that potting bench for the secret garden:

Nothing a little elbow grease can’t handle!

Fits perfectly! The Faeries are a little miffed (that’s where their swimming pool slide was located) but it needed to be back away from the ledge so somebody doesn’t get any smart ideas…

Lot’s more to do this month- Happy Beltane!