A Return to Childhood

My Mom gifted Big Sis with a set of Little House on the Prairie books for Christmas last year.  She has yet to dive into them (despite my enthusiasm), but I've started re-reading them in the last few weeks**.

As a girl, I loved these books.  I pictured myself living on the prairie, playing in the stream, churning butter with Ma.  My own Ma even made me a pioneer dress complete with floppy bonnet (a portent of things to come?), and I remember staring at the fabric, wondering if Laura ever saw big bolts of white eyelet in the wonderous General Store. 

Reading these as an adult has given me a new respect for both the writing and the story-telling. I can still clearly picture the Big Woods of Wisconsin, with the snow falling silently as the girls peek out the real glass windows.  I can see the swaying grass atop mile after mile of Kansas prairie. Jack the bulldog, and older sister Mary are always there, too.  

The books have also given me a renewed appreciation for the comforts of my life.  Tales of cheese-making, hog butchering, and long summers with no fresh meat make my own dreaded trips to the grocery a little more bearable.  

More than anything, I was astonished at how long Laura lived, and the things she must have seen in that lifetime!  Born in 1867 in a log cabin, she died in 1957 in her own 10-room house in Missouri.  She crossed the prairie in a covered wagon, and lived to see the invention of radio, motion pictures, automobiles, electric light, the telephone, air travel, and television. 

I can't wait to read the whole series again, and to encourage Big Sis to start reading them, too.  I might even break out my Little House Cookbook and try a few recipes to get her in the mood.  

**Her opinion is that they are "a little too Pioneer-y".  When she was informed that "Pioneer-y" is a part of her heritage, and that she had ancestors who walked across most of the United States, she was much more intrigued.  

Legends of the Fall

Here I sit, alone on a Thursday night, and Legends of the Fall is on cable. I've probably seen it a dozen times, but I still find it captivating. It's definitely in my top 10. I think Brad Pitt is totally underrated as an actor. Everyone seems to focus on his looks (I'm not a statue, of course I think he's foxy), but he really is talented as an actor. He makes the movie.

A few years back I read the novel by Jim Harrison. I then read every other Jim Harrison story and novel the local library had. I don't recall all the details, but he's a superb author. Despite being a contemporary novelist, he can make you feel like you are in the time and place he is describing. You can feel the breeze floating off the South Dakota plains and the sun beating down as you gallop back to the ranch house. His characters are complex and imbued with the foibles and flaws found in all of us. If you come across his works in the local library, I highly recommend taking a peek. Tell me what you think.

Bloggity blog blog blog

I love finding new blogs to read, especially when they concern one or more of my favorite things (food, shopping, reading, etc.). I finally tracked down the blog of the genius who is partly responsible for my awesome cinnamon roll recipe. Orangette is the name of this brilliant blog, and the woman who authors this delicious bit of food writing is Molly Wizenberg. I love her because she has a wonderful writing style - very sparse but eloquent, her pictures are so crisp that I want to reach through the computer and scoop up whatever bit of deliciousness is on her plate, and I also love her because she's in Seattle (I'm feeling a little nostalgic for the Pacific Northwest - it's the Iowa humidity that's making me yearn for grey skies and pine trees. It will pass). I eagerly read her monthly article in Bon Appetit called Cooking Life, and I always enjoy it. She isn't as snobby as some food writers can be - focusing on French cuisine, or exorbitantly expensive ingredients, or some other nonsense which only appeals to a total of 3 readers - and she expresses a true appreciation for the simple joys of uncomplicated, well prepared food. Reading her article on jam made me want to can my own and although I have a hankering for peach jam (smells like feet but tastes like summer), I understand that Iowa is not exactly a haven for peach trees. While I figure out if I will divert my jammy dreams or slog through it with substandard imported peaches, I will enjoy her outstanding blog and maybe sample a recipe or two from her extensive archive. I'm also looking forward to her book, which comes out in March of '09. Again with the buying of books. What is becoming of me in my advanced years??

The Twilight Saga

I was a big reader growing up, and it's still a favorite hobby of mine. I don't read as much as I'd like to anymore, and most of my casual reading in the last few years has been limited to books purchased just prior to a business trip (I hate working on planes, as I just don't ever have the elbow room I need to type). I also don't usually buy books, unless they are really cheap or really good. I read extremely quickly, and can't stand paying $14 for a book I will blow through in a 5 hour flight. Anyway.... when my in-laws were here last month, Matt's mom left me her copy of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I like some fantasy novels, and it sounded similar to Anne Rice's work, so after a week or so, I picked it up. After a few chapters (mostly spent wondering why my mother-in-law was reading a book on the misadventures of a high school junior) I was hooked! It was a great, simple read, but done in a compelling way. I like that it focused on the emotional relationship, and not so much on the physical. I shocked myself by liking it enough that I bought the next two (in hardback!) on Amazon. They came today and I am so excited. It's almost a good thing that I have a very limited amount of personal time, as it will force me to pace my reading and enjoy these books. I was impressed to see the author featured in Time magazine 2 weeks in a row - first in a 3 page article on her books, comparing her to J.K. Rowling (and I love the description of her at home with her 3 boys, typing one handed while holding a baby in the other - I can relate). Then a second article featured her as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733752_1736282,00.html. I harbor a secret dream to be an author myself, and so it always comforts and inspires me when I stumble upon a writer who lives a life even slightly similar to mine (wife, mom, member). Book 4 in the series, Breaking Dawn, will be released August 2, just in time for my birthday - HINT HINT. I'm sure I'll have it in my possession shortly after it drops.