Heirloom Seeds and Bookish Thoughts

+Chris has been ordering a lot of seeds lately, mostly for later on. Today he planted these two crops at his mom’s house in lieu of the tomatillo plants that had bit the Texas dust.

+We’re moving at the end of the week for the NW Houston area where we will be setting up house again. We’re taking two large potting containers with us—maybe we’ll plant some of these seeds there.

+I’m dreaming of a real garden—some day. This time around we’re renting, again, with hopes of finding something of our own once Chris gets a job. Hopefully in time for spring crops!

+Been reading lately. A lot of non-fiction, actually. It has taken me awhile to get into non-fiction but now I am absorbing it all. There’s a lot of hiking/outdoorsy writing I want to read but I’m trying to read the books I have, first.

+Right now I am reading the book I won a few months ago, An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century. So far it is really good and makes me miss some aspects of south Florida. It depresses me too in knowing that the big fight over Everglades restoration will continue and we probably won’t see a restored Everglades pre-levee’s and channelization. Even when Marjory came to south Florida the landscape had already been vastly changed. I’m about 1/4 through the book, maybe a little less. It jumps back and forth from a biography of Marjory’s life to a biography of Florida’s ecosystem.

+I recently finished Pathfinder by Ron Strickland. After the AT hike all the fellow hikers found each other online and then there would be a few other well known hiker folks friend us. Some of them we didn’t know, some we’d heard of and some we did know. I didn’t know Ron but accepted his friend request anyway after seeing the hiking profile photo—I figured I must’ve met him somehow! Well, I don’t think I ever met him but I found out he’d written a book about the Pacific Northwest Trail (can find that info via the link to the book, too) since he was one of the primary founders of the trail. Anyway, it was a very interesting read and focused somewhat on trail building but also how trail building shaped his life, the characters he met and other facets of being a hiker bum. It inspired me to want to create/wish there was a long distance Texas trail—I know I have a big dream there. Sure there’s the Lone Star Trail but it’s a mere 100 miles! Texas is vastly bigger and deserves something much more grand! I mean, there has been a Texas perimeter hike!.

+Since we’re moving we’ll be getting our own kitchen again. This makes me very happy because I am itching to try out some vegetarian recipes. And drink green smoothies again. I’ve been loving the Roost Blog, full of good recipes to try.

+I guess that’s about it. Lots of posts scheduled for this week and a few for next. Trying to get a few things written in case we are without internet for a few days.

+Also, my nephew might make his appearance to this world this week, so I’m excited about that. If he does come, expect lots of sweet baby goodness here soon!