Friday, May 17, 2013

A book for you...

Wow!  Friday already!  Are you ready for the week-end?  Is there anything special on your calendar?  Around here, a series of high school graduations is underway, and we are fortunate to know several of that "younger set" which are graduating this year.

We are also hopeful that the weather forecast for "scattered showers" will have them scattered elsewhere, and that we might be able to take that first step to planting our garden this season!

That leads me to a discussion of this book.

Non-fiction.  
Several years, while our daughters were students at Emory and Henry College, Barbara Kingsolver came as a guest speaker.  A marriage between her and one of the college professors ensued, and they lived for a number of years at her home in Arizona.  A decision was made to return to Southwest Virginia to her husband's farmland and to experiment living a rural life for one year.  That is to say that they would only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it.   This book, published in 2007, is written as a result of that year's experiment.

I became aware of the book when The Husband and I decided to return to campus for More Than A Vacation, an event for alumni/spouses held during the summer.  Developing the theme from the book as the basis of our activities, it was suggested that we read the book before we came to that summer's event.

Well, the experiment was apparently successful, as they are still residing in Southwest Virginia and have operated a restaurant - The Harvest Table - using the same concept for several years!  Ms. Kingsolver was even the speaker at the college graduation a couple of years ago, and she is often seen participating in campus events.

The book was especially interesting to me because we are real believers in growing vegetables and supporting area farmers by shopping the local markets.  I was also made more aware of reading ingredient labels and began to be more careful with what I buy. We are dedicated to gardening organically, and we have our own compost which is used to supplement the soil.

I hope you will find much to enjoy in this day! 

Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.

6 comments:

  1. That book sounds quite interesting, and I may try to find it for myself, although we do not have a garden spot here. I do have a few Facebook friends who are seriously avoiding genetically engineered foods, and they have amazing-looking gardens!

    As for my weekend, it will be busy, starting tonight with the kindergarten graduation at our Christian school, for which I am playing the piano. Saturday will find me cooking in preparation for our church's 41st anniversary service/lunch on Sunday. I hope to have some spinach balls, barbecue pork, smoked sausage/cabbage, and a chocolate cake to offer the folks who come to celebrate with us. Now, if I can just get my body to cooperate with all that my brain has in mind to do.... :-) Have a wonderful day, Sister!

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  2. Have a wonderful weekend. I have a list of things I need to accomplish after work for my teens slumber party. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight.

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  3. Eating store bought foods is getting scary..we may all, one day wish we had a garden. Enjoy the weekend. xoxo,Susie

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  4. Hello Nellie...I'm sure you are enjoying that book. Sounds good.

    We have an excursion planned this weekend which I know will be fun. Will probably blog about it!

    Take care. Susan

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  5. Heaven help me, if I had to grow my own food, I'd starve to death! I have black thumbs.

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  6. I also LOVE growing our organic vegetables. For different reasons I will be growing them in pots this year.Kudos to you.

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