Yum & Yuk

I'm back from a wonderful week long vacation in Boston...but now I need a vacation to recover from my vacation! It's been great being so busy and social and traveling so much, but I'm definitely missing having down time to just take care of business like laundry, bills,....and just being alone. I'll figure it out.

Image: source.

My current obsession is Franzen's "Freedom." I read "The Corrections," when it came out and remembered liking it, but got overwhelmed by the "Freedom" hype and didn't make it a priority. However, a respected friend of mine (who doesn't even read much fiction) really loved it, and my library happened to have a copy available, so I nabbed it on my way to Boston. And, WOW. I don't really know where to start, other than to say that in the last 4 days I've read all but the last 50 pages, and I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a book. Maybe I'll say more when I'm done with it (although I feel at a loss to discuss it with the appropriate intelligence), but suffice it to say that I'm already sitting on a copy of the n+1 symposium on "Freedom" so I can dive in as soon as those last 50 pages have been digested....

The garden continues to be such a joy! In the past few weeks I've harvested and devoured the remaining broccoli, carrots, onion, and kale. The only thing that was sort of a bust was the chard - I don't know if it just got overshadowed by the kale or if I did something wrong, but it never quite came to fruition. Now I'm waiting on the tomatoes, peppers, beets, and cilantro. And thinking about what I can plant for the fall and winter....not to mention beginning to plan my garden for next year! I had no idea that planting my own garden could be so rewarding. Also on my agenda: learning more about companion planting. Hit me up if you have suggestions or tips!