Porches, gardening, and the inability to say no at the library

My neighbor's barn at sunset
last week

I sat in my rocking chair on the front porch last night, reading The Gentle Art of Domesticity and watching the sun disappear below the horizon. It was my first evening of rocking and watching and pondering this year. All the rain we've had combined with recent warm weather has brought back the forest into its' full lushness. No longer is the neighbor's shabby red barn easy to view from my porch. Now there are all shades of green, everywhere I look... as one would expect living at the edge of a forest.

Life has suddenly become overwhelmingly busy. My husband caught the raised bed garden bug (and I'm thrilled) but there is a lot of work to setting one up that first year. There's nothing like giving a former engineer a construction project and watch him go to work. He and I both decided this is the priority list item we would use with the paycheck he earned at the bookstore this time. So, for days and days he has been drawing pictures on paper and making calculations. He started on the fence yesterday and we'll work on building the frames for the beds today if the weather cooperates.

Since we needed the car yesterday morning, I had to pick Christopher up at work and drive to the college where he was to be part of a commercial they are making. Then waiting for him, first at Panera and later at the campus library.

Both are dangerous places for me... after a bagel and coffee at Panera, I drove back to the college and perused the New Fiction shelves, the New Non-fiction shelves, and took the stairs to the cookbook section. I came home with an arm full of books... note to self, always take a basket or bag to the library as you know you'll get carried away.

I was absolutely thrilled to find The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket at the library. I have enjoyed it already. I've been on the lookout for the new Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mystery titled Oolong Dead and it was finally there, just waiting for me to check it out... along with Katie Brown Celebrates and Joel Rosenberg's new nonfiction book called Inside the Revolution.

I also checked out (again) Get-Togethers with Gooseberry Patch and Coming Home With Gooseberry Patch... eye candy combined with great recipes... love these books. As I've mentioned before, I've changed the type of cookbook I'm reading and using for this year... recipes and relaxation all in one book.

My apologies for not getting the book and film list completed. Life became very busy and unforeseen circumstances popped up (like spending Wednesday at the Veteran's Administration clinic and chauffeuring duties yesterday). I'm chipping away at it... soon, very soon. I am so excited about the new authors and titles, at least new to me.