Sunday, April 30, 2017

A Sunday miscellany

Good morning from Houston, where a cool front has brought us from the low 90s to the middle 60s. I wasn't ready for summer heat, so I will savor this cool spell while it lasts.
 
It was such fun to see everyone enjoying the Readathon yesterday. Once again, though, I had no desire to take part. The thought of "having" to read, even for a completely voluntary event like that, makes me oddly anxious. So I will continue to cheer from the sidelines. I did however join in the other main bookish event of the day, Independent Bookstore Day. I celebrated as usual at Murder by the Book, where I picked up more of the Dean Street Press reprints of Patricia Wentworth's books. I had six in a stack at one point, but I winnowed that down to two: Touch and Go (from 1934) and Hole and Corner (from 1936). Murder by the Book doesn't have the three starring Ernest Lamb and Frank Abbott, who appear frequently in the Miss Silver stories, but I'm sure the staff will be happy to order them for me.

On another bookish topic: I have decided to give the Book Jar another try. (Mine will actually be a Book Tin this time.) I'm putting the titles of all my TBR books on small slips of paper into the tin, and I'll draw one out at random from time to time, when I'm between books - and particularly when I'm having trouble settling on a book to read. So far this year I've done fairly well at reading the most recent book acquisitions. But there are so many on the TBR shelves, those that I rushed to order or to buy, and then was distracted from reading by the next shiny new book or enticing review. When I tried a Book Box before, I ended up reading books I had almost forgotten about - and wouldn't have chosen for my next book. Some I enjoyed, others I didn't finish - but I got them off the TBR shelves. And I like the randomness of letting chance choose.

Buying my first house has brought a lot of changes, and quite a few challenges. For the first time I have a garden - just a small one. But I've only had balconies or patios outside apartments before, and this is the first time I've really gotten my hands into the dirt. Part of my small front yard is paving stones, and the previous owner put down gravel on another part (I hope to get rid of that soon). The little pocket-square of actual dirt was an overgrown mess when I moved in, with a massive fire ant mound in the middle of it. After I dealt with that, on the advice of my friend Lynn (a master gardener) I put mulch down. I now have lots of different pots in plants, including two eggplants, both of which are blooming! The thought of cooking and eating my own eggplant this summer enchants me. All of this is to say: are there gardening books or books about gardens that are essential, even to the small-space gardener? Of course I have Elizabeth and Her German Garden, and The Secret Garden (which Jennifer of Holds Upon Happiness reminded me of in a recent post). I bought a copy of Beverly Nichols' Merry Hall from the library sale shelves some weeks ago.

My tiny little garden space

 And finally: a new cat has joined the household. I had no plans for another cat. I feel two cats are more than a sufficiency. However, back in February a co-worker texted me a picture of a kitten in the storm drain outside our building. I went out and collected him, a miserable shivering bundle of matted fur, and took him to my vet's office. I was planning to foster him, but he turned out to have the most virulent case of ringworm that the staff there has ever seen. He has infected most of the staff, all of the clinic cats, some clients who were thinking of adopting him - and as I learned to my shame yesterday, even my vet. They told me early on that I couldn't take him home, because my two here would catch it. But look, they said, we have this adorable kitten who needs a good home - take her instead. And I was feeling so guilty about what I had unleashed on the office that I said yes in a moment of weakness. (I've also been saying no to their offered kittens for years by claiming that my apartment wouldn't allow three cats. Now they know I've moved into a house, so they weren't accepting that as an excuse any more.) I've named her Amelia Peabody, because she is an intrepid explorer. She is the first cat I've ever had to lurk on top of the refrigerator, to climb the bookcases, and to learn to open the kitchen cabinets. She has also left chew marks on both sets of my glasses, broken a lamp, and forced me to relocate several houseplants. I am thinking of renaming her "Lucifer." She probably thinks her name is "NO - GET OFF THAT" - she hears it so often. And the little rescue kitty, whom I've been calling "Ringworm Randy," is finally close to being cured, and the staff assures me they can find him a home. He really is a sweet boy, and so handsome now.

Amelia, in a rare moment of quiet

22 comments:

  1. I always wanted to have a little garden, if not a cat... :)

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    1. I've had cats most of my life, but never a garden before :)

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  2. Good luck with your book jar! I know I would rebel against it, but I hope it'll work brilliantly for you. I had a great time readathoning yesterday, but I think next year I'll build in some other activities at some point during the day. I felt a bit sick by the end of the day, the way you do when you've been too self-indulgent. On the other hand, the thing of reading book after book after book was pretty grand.

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    1. I don't plan to use the Book Jar to choose every book - I would definitely rebel against that! I should be reading two book club books right now, as well as a stack of due-next-week library books.

      I did a short readathon one time, not even a full day. I felt the same way by the time I stopped, a bit sick like I'd stuffed myself on sweet things.

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  3. I agree about the strange level of anxiety when thinking of participating in the Readathon. I just watch from afar which, come to think of it, is my approach to many social interactions!

    If I ever end up in your area I am going to have to visit Murder by the Book. You make it sound so appealing.

    I love your tiny garden space. You can make it so cosy and secret gardenish. Not that I am good with gardens but that sounds possible. I have heard quite a bit about Beverly Nichols' books lately. If that title is one you pull from your tin I will be interested to hear what you think of it. I am trying to resist the urge to add to my shelves but I am sure if you recommend it I will cave in and be glad of the excuse.

    Your new cat is adorable, even if a handful, and I love her name.

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    1. I'm so glad I'm not the only one! I see all the enthusiastic posts & tweets, and the activities, and it looks like such fun - but I get queasy at the thought of joining in.

      If you ever end up in my area, you have a standing invitation to tea (hopefully you aren't allergic to cats), and I will take you on a bookstore crawl. Not just Murder by the Book, but also Half Price Books. I have worked out a list of the best ones in the greater Houston area, and I am dying to try my list out on someone :) (Hopefully that doesn't put you off visiting Houston.)

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    2. Tea, a book tour, and a visit with cats sounds absolutely wonderful. Maybe one day I will make it out there. And if you ever come east the same offer applies.

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    3. I don't get east very often these days, but if I do, I'll be there :)

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  4. I took part in one or two of the readathons when I first started blogging and enjoyed them, but I found that all the activities and challenges were so distracting I was actually reading less than I would on a normal day!

    Good luck with the Book Tin. I started to do something similar a few years ago but didn't continue with it. It's a good way to remind yourself of books that have been on the TBR for a long time and have been forgotten.

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    1. I hadn't thought about that - but participating in all the activities could eat up a good bit of the reading day!

      I was doing better at tackling the older books on the TBR stacks (the ones that have been there the longest), but lately I've been reading all the newer books.

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  5. I love the idea of readathons, but the practicality of it always puts a damper on it for me. I rarely have that many hours in a row to sit and read...sadly. And I did a Book Jar a couple of years ago because I thought it was such a great idea, but every time I drew out a book it was one I wasn't in the mood to read, so I'd put it back in the jar to "read later". So as much as I loved the idea of it, it just never worked for me like it seems to work for you. I'm a book jar failure. :D

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    1. I'm a book jar failure too - this is my second attempt!

      I had the same problem with the first (a Box actually). So I made a rule that I could switch out the book I drew, one time. After that it was read or put the book on the "donate" pile. It worked pretty well - and then I just stopped drawing.

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  6. Congrats on your new house! In terms of gardening books, I have a few favorites. First is Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi--it's lovely and interesting and inspiring. Next is This Organic Life by Joan Dye Gussow--memoir, will make you cry, and the best recipe for tomato sauce on the planet (aka Tomato Glut). Third is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and finally Katherine White's Onward and Upward in the Garden. All are delightful and can be read in fits and starts as the mood strikes. Enjoy. Love the picture of Amelia - I miss my kitty.

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    1. Thank you for the suggestions! I've read a little about the Kingsolver book, though not the book itself. I'm making a note of these for my library list.

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  7. I love the idea of a book jar, for when I can't decide what to read next. Congratulations on becoming a gardener, it's addictive. If you are interested in gardening TV programmes you should take a look at Gardeners' World on You Tube.

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    1. I've found that it's also very calming. I really enjoy pulling weeds! Though I have to be careful - I've already spent too much at garden centers.

      I hadn't thought about TV shows - or to look at You Tube. Thank you for the recommendation.

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  8. I hope we'll see the after picture of your garden soon! :)

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    1. I don't know if there will be any changes for a while. I had to buy a new AC unit, which cost the proverbial arm and a leg - so there went my home & garden budget!

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  9. I like your little garden AND your little cat. :) Hopefully she'll settle down and be less destructive soon. I've been wanting to do some serious work in my little garden, but the rain won't stay away!

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    1. I hope so too :) I can't afford two pairs of new glasses this year, so I'm learning to look around the chew marks.

      We haven't had much rain yet this year - I don't know that anyone is talking drought yet, but we're definitely a bit behind already.

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  10. Welcome to Amelia-Lucifer-Peabody -- what a story though. I suspect I'd have to change vets and maybe move interstate... ;-)

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    1. The staff teases me, in a kind way - but I can't even look the vet in the face, though he's a very nice man.

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Thank you for taking the time to read, and to comment. I always enjoy hearing different points of view about the books I am reading, even if we disagree!