Ahh, Life's Little Serendipities.

Recently I picked up Requiem for a Paper Bag at my local library. It's a compilation of stories and essays written about found items (notes on the ground or pictures tucked inside books kinds of things). It's also in association with Found magazine--which I've never read, but have heard of. So, I'm perusing this book the other evening and there's an entry from my city and I look at Jeremy and I say, "What's ____ last name?" And lo and behold, he works with the person who found it! Small world, huh?! On top of that, I appreciate that the address for the magazine is on Charing Cross Road; one of my favorite books, as I've mentioned before, is 84 Charing Cross Road.

What's the big deal about French food?

I'm no expert on this subject, so I'm just going to pose the question: Why such a big deal about French cooking?
I've never knowingly cooked French food, so I plead ignorance. However, I have noticed that memoirs of French cooking and eating proliferate. Every time I check what new books are being released, inevitably nestled among the other cookery-type books, there is a My Time With Food in France kind of book. I'm a sucker for food writing. And, I did read Julie and Julia a couple months back and rather enjoyed the story of Julie cooking through Julia Child's Master French Cooking Vol.1. But the elaborateness of the food definitely didn't entice me to want to try my hand at French cooking. Maybe it's just that the French care more about their food?
What's your opinion?

Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have written the previous post. I open my blogging mouth and the summer heat comes rolling in! It's definitely pool kind of weather! After I go to the gym, I think that's where I might be headed with my new read The Well and the Mine.
Hope you all are enjoying the summer weather.

How can it be...

that it's nearly summer solstice and it's still in the 60s outside? I sleep with multiple covers on at night and I'm not hot. We've run the air conditioning a few evenings, but that's it. Summer seems to want to stay in the April showers phase as far as I can tell.

Weekend

Friday evening after work, Jeremy and I climbed into our packed car and drove an hour and a half to join my sister and brother-in-law for a quick weekend camp. The weather was very mild (quite cold in the evenings really) and for a day and a half, we lazed around eating, talking, playing games, sleeping. It was a refreshing retreat.
This was J's first camping experience and I think he mostly enjoyed his time. I suppose it is more work than a hotel retreat, but there's something incredibly satisfying about being outdoors, cooking food over the fire. I told Liz that Mom and Dad would be proud, they trained us well to be campers and we're carrying on that tradition.
J and I rarely get more than a 2-day weekend, but I'm hopeful that we'll have a few more weekend camping retreats.

Today I don't have to work, so I'm packing away the camping gear, doing laundry, cleaning, etc. I was hoping to go to the pool for a bit, but the weather looks uncooperative. So, we'll see if that happens.

Reviews

This last week I just finished reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog which I picked up partly because of the particularly intriguing title and partly because of reading positive reviews about it in Bookmarks magazine. I wasn't disappointed. I was delighted when I discovered the reason behind the title, this tidbit appeared about halfway through the book. Recently translated from French, this quiet story is told from the viewpoint of a 50-something concierge and a 12-year-old tenant. Themes of Art, philosophy, beauty, literature, and meaning of life run throughout this book.

Yesterday I finished Brooklyn which is another kind of unassuming book like Elegance. I believe this is written by an Irish author. The book follows the journey of Eilis Lacey from Ireland to Brooklyn and the people she meets along the way. Ultimately it's a story of growing up and finding home. It's a gentle, flowing story with unique characters.

Plumb is one of my favorite Christian singers. I'm picky about such music. Last week I checked out Plumb's newest CD Blink and it was beautiful. Ultimately, most of the songs are lullabies that she wrote for her two young sons. But the messages and lilting melodies kept me listening. Her other CDs are much more upbeat, but I love them as well. She very often tells stories in her songs which I love.

To any of you looking for something new to read or listen to, I highly recommend these items. I'd love to hear opinions from anyone that has read/listened to these already or from those who pick them up as a result of my reviews. I don't have much opportunity to talk literature with people right now (this is my outlet), so I hope you don't mind that books come up frequently in my posts.

Happy reading and listening!

Birthdays in my family come around so quickly.

I will have more time to post life-moments tomorrow. For now, before I hit the bed for some sleep, I just wanted to wish a Very Happy 30th Birthday to my big sister, Alaina!!! I was able to spend about three hours with her today and so much enjoyed seeing her. Love you so much, Alaina.