Weekend Reading

I have a great variety of weekend reading planned:

The Sustainable Vegetable Garden, by John Jeavons and Carol Cox
Grow Vegetables, by Alan Buckingham
Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew
Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan,
On the Banks of Plum Creek, by Larua Ingalls Wilder
Salem's Lot, by Stephen King

♫ One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong... ♫

I always throw a Stephen King into my reading plans for good measure- gotta shake things up a bit!

Right now I am playing host to several teenagers who are gaming and pizza-ing in my basement (if you don't know, my little sister is living with us!). When I was in high school, my parent's house was always the place to hang out. My parents are pretty relaxed-and-groovy (a la Eddie Izzard), and I think that my house was sometimes a safe space or at least a relaxing space for several friends. I like the idea that our house could now be that safe, fun space for some of Sam's friends. Her friends are all pretty nice, funny and endearing, or at least they are when I go downstairs to check on them!

I meanwhile, eating pizza and Twizzlers (bringing me back to middle school sleepover days), am delving into this list of gardening books and quite enjoying it. Fridays have become one of my fairly quiet nights at home and I've come to like and value the time to myself, even when there are raucous teens downstairs; maybe it's best then-when there are happy, laughing people in the background.

I was reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It's become sort of like a bible to me, or a Harry Potter or a Lord of the Rings- something to be re-read each year and looked upon with fresh eyes. I was reading it tonight, until I started eating aforementioned pizza, Twizzlers, and other bad things and felt a little silly eating the most processed, un-local food ever while reading about a year of local eating.

Overall though, my effort to make more meals at home, buy more local and seasonal foods, and incorporate more vegetables and less refined grains has been doing well. I suppose today will have to be my "cheat" day.

I am surrounded by inspirational books, happy adolescents, napping cats, and I am drinking Coke out of a Twizzler fashioned into a straw. I think I'm set for the night. :)