On this most gorgeous day of winter thus far, I sit in my sunroom basking in the warm sunshine reading while the white outside world begins its thaw from the eight inches of snow received yesterday. With the temperature in the low 20s, windchill in single digits, and bright sunshine in clear, blue skies, as I’ve written many times, this is among my favorite preoccupations in life.
Surrounded by my indoor green jungle with half a dozen plants blooming with red and white flowers, my current reading material is by my coffee cup. A few days ago, I finished “Foreign Seed,” a novel and fictional account of events surrounding Frank Meyer’s (Myer Lemon tree) death while on, what turns out to be, his last plant exploration trip on behalf of the U.S. Government.
It is an intriguing and captivating story based on searching the facts and mysteriousness surrounding Meyer’s life and last plant exploration trip so that proper government forms can be filled out regarding his death. The book, written by Allison Alsup and just recently released, is currently available at Turner Publishing Company.
Yesterday I finished “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss” by Margaret Renkl. This book of essays, taken from her life experiences, reveals everyday complexities of the natural world which teach life lessons to many of us who are far removed from knowing it like the more rural generations of the past.
This morning, I began reading “The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year” also written by Renkl. Another book of essays, Renkl recounts nature’s events witnessed in her own backyard and surroundings, many of which are analogies of human life. The stories proceed by seasons beginning with winter, “The Season of Sleeping”. It has already proven to be as educational and entertaining as “Late Migrations.” Both are available at the Amarillo Public Library.
Another library book I read a few years ago was a trip down memory lane. “Gardening in Eden” by Arthur T. Vanderbilt is like a memoire. It takes place in New Jersey about two miles from where I lived for about 20 years and refers to things and places I know.
“Yard Art and Handmade Places: Extraordinary Expressions of Home” by Jill Nokes rid me of my snobbery related to what I viewed as “garish and tacky” gardens. Fourteen stories of different gardens told by the gardens’ creators revealed places of memory and meaning as people made their homes uniquely their own. I purchased this wonderful book from the author.
These books and many others like these connect me to the outdoors and to gardening while I’m unable to be getting my hands dirty in my gardens. They make me more keenly aware of topics associated with gardening like plant exploring, sensitize me to the rewards of viewing my surroundings more intimately, remind me of my many memories of gardens and garden experiences, and make me understand the vast depth and breadth of creating gardens. All through the lens of others.