New Books
I’ve been a fan of Anna Rifle Bond’s art for a while, when I saw this Puffin in Bloom collection featuring her artwork I knew I had to have it. Not being much of one to splurge on myself, I kept them in my book list for a long time. Finally, when I got a gift card I purchased them.
They’re just a sweet in person as they are on-line. I love each of these books and have read them all more times than I can count. At the moment, I’m reading Ann of Green Gables. I decided that as I wanted to reread many of the classic books I read as a girl, I’m going to buy nice copies of them. Most likely, I read them each a few more times in my lifetime. Having a beautiful copy of a well-loved book is a very satisfying thing. There are books I can read on my Kindle, but these kinds of books are not those. When I read a classic story I love, I need to turn the pages, feel the paper, the cover, and enjoy the tactile part of reading.
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Quote of the Day: Winter
I have a mediation book I try to read every morning, this past weekend had a fantastic entry:
“See the pine trees and learn their lesson,” a friend once said. “Pine trees are nature’s reminder that growth continues even in winter.”
Winter is an important season in our lives. It is more than a time of coldness and snow. It’s a time of going within. A time to rest from the work that’s been done, a time to prepare for the lessons ahead. Long for the sun on your shoulders, but let the frost and cold come. The ground has been left fallow in preparation for nourishing the seeds of new life.
Honor winter’s lessons. Despite this time of lifelessness and inactivity, this is still a season of growth. Trust what’s being worked out in your soul. The snow will melt. The sun will shine again. The time will come to remove your heavy garb and return to the activity of life.
Cherish the winter. Cherish its quietness, the time of going within to rest and heal. Cherish this time of preparation that must come before new life. Cherish the hope that lies beneath the snow.
Melodie Beattie in Journey to the Heart
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Quote of the Day: Ruth Reichl
“Alice would have snickered derisively at the notion, but she was the first person I ever met who understood the power of cooking. She was a great cook, but she cooked more for herself than for other people, not because she was hungry, but because she was comforted by the rituals of the kitchen. It occurred to her that others might feel differently, and I was grown before I realized that not every six-year-old would consider it a treat to spend entire afternoons in the kitchen.”
-Ruth Reichl in Tender at the Bone
Recently, I read this book at LOVED it. My childhood was filled with all sorts of delicious and exotic food. Since I grew up in South America, I was able to taste all manner of strange and wonderful things: plantain, fresh coconut right off the tree, yucca, guanabana, and so much more. Thankfully, pickiness was not in my blood, I loved food–all food.
Naturally, since I loved eating and food, cooking became an passion early in life. When I was Jr High and High School, I did the majority of the cooking for my family.
For me, cooking in a creative outlet and it’s comforting. Spending a day in the kitchen making good meals is very enjoyable, and relaxing. I always joke that cooking is my spiritual gift.
Do you enjoy cooking? Do you enjoy eating? What’s your favorite exotic food?
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Quote of the Day: Joe Hutto
“The vitality and aggressive nature of these young wild turkeys constantly impresses me. They are exuberant and energetic but never belie an underlying seriousness about their lives. I see in them an awareness and a presence that remind me of how relatively dull my own senses are. They never fail to warn me of the slightest element of interest in our environments: a squirrel or bird in a nearby tree, a snake passing quietly nearby, or a hawk soaring at an altitude that is almost invisible to me.”
Joe Hutto Illumination in the Flatwoods
A friend loaned me this book last week and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it. I particularly appreciate it because I’ve raised turkeys from poults and I’ve watched mama turkeys raise clutches of young in the yard.
Turkeys are special birds, especially ones you raise yourself. Our original mama turkey is one of the best birds we have, she’s very vocal and chats with us regularly. She also loved to get petted and will follow me around purring away when I’m in the turkey yard. They’re also remarkable guardians for chickens and other birds. The turkeys alert the other birds to predators, especially hawks. They seem to spot things much quicker than chickens and ducks do.
If you enjoy nature, birds, and botany, check this book out (Littles for scale). If you have a nature lover in your family this would be a great Christmas gift.
What great books are you reading this week?
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Quote of the Day: Robert Farrar Capon
“The world does not need another cookbook, but it needs all the lovers–amateurs–it can get. It is a gorgeous old place, full of clownish graces and beautiful drolleries, and it has enough textures, tastes, and smells to keep us intrigued for more time than we have. Unfortunately, however, our response to its loveliness is not always delight: It is, far more often than it should be, boredom. And that is not only odd, it is tragic; for boredom is not neutral–it is the fertilizing principle for unloveliness.”
Robert Farrar Capon in The Supper of the Lamb
I’m very happy that winter is approaching. While I still enjoy cooking in the summer, my schedule makes it difficult to really immerse myself in cooking big meals, in trying new recipes, baking bread, etc. Summer is about quick cooking vegetables from the garden, winter is about spending hours in the kitchen, braised meats, long simmered soups…
Do you consider yourself an amateur cook? Do you enjoy the process of cooking?
