A great novel is a kind of conversion experience. We come away from it changed. — Katherine Paterson, Gates of Excellence
Did you catch my musty book coffee fix post earlier this year?
Just the mention of “musty” makes my nose crinkle (although coffee is a pleasing antidote).
With our noses now inside a book, let’s turn the page … or pick up another edition?
Something like that.
Last week, on a spontaneous hunt for poetic inspiration, I spied my old copy of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass—the one that survived my house fire many, many years ago. It has been sitting unopened for so long, tucked inconspicuously among other faded fabric spines, I was prepared to pinch my nose upon opening it.
Courtesy iPad E-Book Library
But, there was no must, no mildew …
just that heavenly “old book smell.”
Ahhh.
Courtesy Eakins Press Foundation
Do you remember the last time you fumbled upon that nigh forgotten fragrance?
Winnie Nielsen says: Now, that is what I call true detective work! Fascinating! It does make total sense when you read about the relationship to wood products. Chemistry is the science of life and I enjoyed ORganic Chemistry the most! Somehow seeing the little diagrams about how all these things work was beyond amazing. Oh and it introduced me to my husband of 34 years! Ahh, chemistry is the science of life!
Darlene Ricotta says: I love books and old books are the best. Nothing electronic will ever give you the feeling that they do.
Heather Sandoval says: As much as I like being able to have a whole electronic library at my fingertips, I still prefer actual books for the exact same reason. It is a sensuous thing to open a book, to run your fingers over the cover, smell the paper and turn the crinkly pages. No e-reader can provide the same experience. That is not to say I don’t have one, because I find it helpful when I travel, but given first choice, a real book is always preferred.
Pingback: Can we bottle that, please? | Raising Jane Journal
Pingback: The Printed Page | Raising Jane Journal
You’ve probably heard Michael Pollan’s name popping up in the media again lately. The author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma (and many other books) has just released another must-read manifesto called Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.
This is great news in itself, but I’m equally thrilled that this publication has swung the spotlight back in Michael’s direction.
This man has things to say worth hearing.
Michael Pollan has emerged as one of the world’s most eloquent and persuasive voices for food preservation.
Not “preservation” as in canning and dehydration … we’re talking the protection and long-term security of food as we know it—or, rather, as our ancestors knew it.
Lest we forget and begin believing that our daily bread originates in a factory where genetically finagled wheat is impregnated with pesticides, Michael Pollan is intent on buzzing in our ears and bringing our consciousness back down to the soil.
He’s sort of like a neatly shaven Lorax who speaks for our food.
Winnie Nielsen says: This is fascinating! This past weekend we went to 12 Bones BBQ in Asheville, NC and it was the epitome of “Fire Cooking”. Oh, yeh, we are talking delicious, fall of the bone fabulous! The one aspect of ASheville that I love is that they embrace sustainable, local, organic farming! This interview is very reassuring that there are creative cooks out there that are in pockets everywhere embracing Michael Pollen’s lessons. Cooking and eating together is such a part of family culture and celebrations!
Deborah Granay says: It always amazes me how “out of step” I am in the 21st century. I have always been interested in knowing how to produce my own food. I wanted to know how to grow it, grind grain, bake, cook from scratch, raise cattle, milk a cow, make cheese and butter…. just basically how to make food from the basics. It’s not that I have to do this. (My grandmother’s family had to, though.) It is just plain interesting.
I can’t imagine not sitting down to the table with family in the evening and having a good meal. To me, that is THE priority in life, not how many activities I can squeeze in. (Of course,my loved ones are my sister and my cats.)
My Grandmother always said the same blessing before each meal. It was, “Bless this food for it’s intended use.” It wasn’t,”Lets get this “meal” over as quick as possible and get out of here.
Maybe that’s why everybody is on a diet. They don’t even know what or how much they eat, just how long it takes.
Donna Kraft says: As a “Home Ec” now Family and Consumer Science Teacher – I agree so much with all of this! Taking home ec classes out of the schools when kids are not being taught these things at home is a crime!!! You might not use algebra or chemistry every day but you will be eating and should be cooking every day!!!!!!
So much of the problems in our society come down to health issues and money management(home and business) these are all part of home economics and should be required classes for every student.We spend all of a students time in school to prepare them for a career but not life-their family life, how they will spend/manage the money they make at their career, how to care for their home, how to wisely shop, and how to cook and eat to be healthy.
I loved this-waiting on his book to come it so I can get it. Now I want to get the Salt, Sugar, Fat book also.
Terry Steinmetz says: Lilacs! They bring back the memory of the day my youngest son was born. The smell of lilacs was wafting in the windows outside my bedroom. My girls & hubby brought me a bouquet to enjoy. Now every time I smell or see lilacs, I remember the joy of holding my new babe! 🙂
Jennifer Memolo says: Beautiful
Winnie Nielsen says: Beautiful Lilacs! They don’t grow in Florida but we have Wisteria that smells wonderful and looks a bit like lilacs.
Lynnette Zaunmiller says: I LOVE this time of the year, when the lilacs are in bloom. They smell so wonderful and make such beautiful fragrant bouquets!
Debbie says: Lovely MJ… We’ve been enjoying Lilacs here at home too…wish they lasted a wee bit longer in the vase and on the branch! hugs! Deb
Of course I dream of Paris. Don’t most of us? I can see myself outside a café at a little table, sipping something lovely coupled with a delicious pastry.
Terry Steinmetz says: Sounds like a good read. I too am intrigued by Hemmingway. He was quite the “character”, as I found out when visiting his home in Key West, FL. Oh the stories that are told!
Winnie Nielsen says: Last summer, I had the privilege to travel to France and spend about 4 days in Paris. Oh, la, la!! We saw the hotel that Hemingway often stayed at during his years of writing and partying in Paris. The years of the 1920s were hard times in Europe. France had taken a beating in World War I, the economy was in trouble, and people struggled to make sense out of the aftermath of so much loss and devastation. Making a living in Paris as an artist had always been a struggle, but no doubt the 1920s were especially tough. Being married to Earnest only complicated the hardships. His habits were not well suited for frugal living in times of economic turmoil!
But Paris is all of the lovely things you read about. The city is beautiful and it’s history just gives you hope. After all, it has survived and thrived for centuries. There is nothing quite like it!
Your review is worded perfectly! I loved the book, and yet, when I tried explaining it to someone, they thought it sounded too complicated. When have you NOT heard the word complicated associated with Ernest Hemingway?
I have not read the book but would love to after reading your review. As an independent writer myself, I am always seeking to know more about the famed authors, how they lived, where they lived, what inspired them. Thank you for giving your take on this book.
Say it isn’t so …
Haven’t we been taught that foods sold in the U.S. are basically, for-the-most-part, kinda, somewhat safe?
I mean, that’s what the FDA is for, right?
Hmmm … not exactly.
“For numerous suspicious and disturbing reasons, the U.S. has allowed foods that are banned in many other developed countries into our food supply,” warns nutritionist Mira Calton, who co-authored the new book, Rich Food, Poor Food.
Calton and her husband spent six years traveling the seven continents to investigate food additives and ingredients. From their research, they compiled a list of dubious products that, although forbidden by foreign governments for health reasons, are permitted in foods sold here in the U.S.
Here are the top 13 offenders:
Winnie Nielsen says: I find it disturbing that there are unhealthy ingredients in common foods and only detectable if you read the small print on the label. If a person does not try and educate themselves or if they eat lots of pre-packaged foods, is it any surprise so many are unhealthy?
You’ve thought about it, haven’t you?
Come on, admit it …
You’ve wondered what it would feel like to live in an era where women wore big hats dripping in feathers.
Mlle Germaine Le Blon by Herman Richir, 1908
Don’t blush.
A farmgirl flaunts the fact that she feels all
aflutter
with the fanfare, fancy, and frill
of a flock she might wear that would help her step back in time.
I dare you
to divulge
that you have dreamed also …
of chickens.
Your secret is safe here.
So, let’s indulge together.
If you’re already a Mother Hen,
you cherish your charming clucks.
But, if you haven’t yet committed to a coop,
I have found a book that will send you swooning.
One glance through the gorgeous images within, and I guarantee …
there will be a flock in your future.
Behold … The Magnificent Chicken.
Elizabeth says: While I would love to play dress-up in one of those lovely period piece dresses, I probably would prefer to go hat-less; just b/c I would enjoy showcasing one of their prettier up sweeps/hairdo’s. Many years ago (when we were celebrating my sister’s birthday) I decided to wear my hair in a similar fashion to one of the hairdo’s I had seen on a Southern Belle, in the miniseries, ‘North & South’. It was so much fun to try that hairstyle.
As for the chickens, I have been learning a lot more about them recently. My husband has always wanted to own chickens, so we talk about them a lot. I’ve bought him books on chickens before & even sent away for information on how to raise chickens/where to buy chickens & related products . But some of the best information I’ve ever read about chicken’s came from one of your 6 main MaryJane Farmgirl writers.
Just yesterday, I read Shery Jespersen’s latest Farmgirl story about choosing the right chicken. Until then, I hadn’t thought of varying egg production nor rooster temperament (heard some can be quite ornery) in some breeds. And Shery even discusses mothering skills or lack there-of in different types of chicken. So, last night, I shared all the information from Shery’s latest story on chicken’s with my husband. Hubby loves fresh eggs, so he was particularly interested in the French chefs’ favored chicken & its eggs. Fairly certain that pet chickens are in our future…however distant that may be? Until then, we’ll enjoy the fresh eggs hubby’s boss shares with him. My husband has even taken care of those chickens when his boss went on vacations; he Loved tending to those birds:-)
Well, Mary Jane, the only thing I’m a “mother hen” for is our Farmgirls Southwest Henhouse. While I’ve met and spent time with many of the “chicks” in this henhouse, it’s basically virtual so I don’t get to gather them under my wings much. But I try to do what mother hen-ning I can do, from afar.
As far as wearing a big, feathery hat . . . the ladies at our church used to have an annual Tea Party. It was an all day affair with lots of well planned decorations, food and a “progam”, with music, poetry, etc. One year our theme was Victorian and one of our guests has costumes that she rents out. For this occasion she just let us wear the ones we wanted to wear. I was decked out in a huge, beautiful hat with flowers and feathers and a skirt with a bustle. It was fun, but I’m glad I don’t have to dress like that . . . too cumbersome and too hot!
CJ
Eileen Stone says: I LOVE HATS! And tea parties! I am building a garden area next to my cabin for tea parties! I LOVE to bake scones & muffins & tea breads, et-cettera!
Jane Sprague says: Oh, my gosh, this is so me!! I love bygone eras and daydreaming of life then. But now, as I near retirement age, I fantasize constantly about … yes … tending chickens and raising my own fruits and vegetables, baking and canning, and gathering fresh laundry from the line. Not a day goes by I’m not thinking about my chicken coop, tilling soil, getting dirty (I always told my 3 boys when they were growing up that dirt was their friend), and immersing my heart into the life I’ve always wanted.
Oh, and I love hats, too! I have a few fancy ones with feathers and a few more straw hats for working in the sunshine. I get teased about them, but I don’t care! ;>)
Do you tend to …
Photo by Andrew Kudrin from Novosibirsk, Russia (CC-BY-2.0) via Wikimedia Commons
If you answered “yes” to most of my questions, join the club.
Don’t worry,
I’m not talking about a club where people party to the beat of loud music, or meet up in noisy restaurants, talking over one another.
I know that would make you uncomfortable.
I’m using the term “club” figuratively to describe 57 percent of the U.S. population
(that’s right, more than half)
who are introverts.
You may be wondering what exactly separates introverts from their polar opposites, extroverts.
“Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach for his cell phone. In contrast, after an hour or two of being socially ‘on,’ we introverts need to turn off and recharge,” writes Johnathan Rauch of The Atlantic. “This isn’t antisocial. It isn’t a sign of depression. It does not call for medication. For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating.”
Still with me?
Julie Kram says: Oh my goodness!! Thank you for posting this! I’m 47 years old and a high school teacher. I’ve been called anti-social for years, recently (last week) by my own mother. I work with 150 teenagers every day in a small district. In a place where everyone knows everybody and everything, sometimes it’s overwhelming. I’ll get to the point where I can’t stand to hear or speak another word. I MUST be left alone to just . . . whatever. I’m going to get this book.
Winnie Nielsen says: I am an introvert but can function in groups well. Too much “people” stufff exhausts me. It feels overwhelming and chaotic if there is too much of group activity for long periods of time. I don’t apologize for being an introvert because people who know me accept me the for who I am. I feel very lucky to have this personal freedom!
Elizabeth says: “But, the truth is, an introvert needs to embrace her need for alone time in order to truly flourish.”
AMEN!
“I’m part of the “silent” majority struggling to adapt to an increasingly loud all CAPS world.”
And again I say, AMEN!…but quietly & often to myself:-)
MaryJane you put a smile on my face this morning just reading this & knowing/feeling it was meant for me to read at this very time. I am going to read this book. Thank you for caring enough to share some of what makes you; you.
kathy van says: OMG! You just made my day! I have always felt like something was wrong with me. I will definately be reading this book. Thanks!
pilar says: Oh so true! I need my alone time. I have missed or cancelled many things to have time to be with myself. I have been known to talk to myself during stressful times because none knows me better than me.
Thank you for calling attention to the silent sufferers. Extroverts just do not understand that excessive noise and activity is painful for introverts. Now I’m off to find a quiet place.
I’ve been an introvert all of my life. During my childhood it was definitely more evident as I was very much a introvert and shy. Even into my adulthood I struggled to blend in with extroverts. I have a better handle on being able to blend in now but there are times when the inner introvert in me longs to just enjoy quiet solitude. I don’t think I would enjoy complete alone-ness for a real long period of time, meaning I couldn’t live on an island all by myself without giving coconuts names and eventually making conversations with them, but for short periods of time it can be recharging to be alone. I enjoy gatherings with other people but do find that I enjoy it the most if it’s on my own terms and not something that I’m forced into.
Pingback: Introvert Video | Raising Jane Journal
Sandi King says: I didn’t realize over half the population is introverted. I also am an introvert. I don’t like big crowds and don’t go to concerts or races or where people crowd you. I need my space. I like small social gatherings or alone time most of the time. I am a country girl. I would love to read this book.
Donna Kozak says: I am going out to buy this book right now…I’ve always known I was an introvert who loved to be alone with my animals and talk to my wonderful small group of friends once a week or so. One of my extrovert friends always said I was anti-social and I replied …”and I’m proud of it” ! I look forward to reading this book and passing it on to my friends and family.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
In honor of Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel’s birthday, March 2 is Read Across America Day. So sit down with someone, read to them, or have them read to you. Go to far-off places … get a little lost.
Winnie Nielsen says: Or serve up a menu of Green Eggs and Ham!
Terry Steinmetz says: I’m with the grandgirls, so I’m sure reading will be part of today!
Marie Panesko says: My Great Aunt gave me Dr. Seuss’ Sleep Book way back in the early ’60s. It took me years to finish reading it without falling asleep! Years later, when I had children of my own, it became a favorite of theirs, too. I always include Dr. Seuss’ Sleep Book in every baby shower gift basket, along with A.A. Milne’s When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Reading Dr. Seuss to the kiddos is a very good thing.
MaryJane says: I’ve never read his Sleep Book. It’s on my wish list now! Thanks for the tip, Marie.
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
Love that floral border! This looks like the perfect GLamper lantern or perhaps for the Wall Tent B&B areas?
loving memories.
I so look forward to your great Photo of the Day! I love using them as wallpaper for my IPad.