More Snow and dreams of Spring

Every Winter, I try to come up with a list of things that are nice about it. Every Winter I can really only come up with one solid thing:

Dreaming about my flower garden.

Thats it. We have had alot more snow this year, which is nice enough. But I'm not really made for Winter. The grey skies make me sad and the biting wind just pisses me off. BUT, the one perk is that I can look through gardening books and seed catalogs and plan my garden for the next year.

The best part about gardening is that every year you learn something new. I want to take my time, learn about one plant a year; this coming year shall be the year of the Dahlia!

There are hundreds of different varieties, from tiny blossoms, to monsters like these.
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I like the big ones. Last year I grew a few small ones; one was the stark white, the most beautiful blossom I'd ever seen. Then the dog from Next Door peed on it. I've never cried for a flower before, but that day the tears fell.

Also, last year, I had no idea that you could actually dig up the root and put it in the basement for next year. So I'm kicking myself, because I could actually have saved that pretty white one.

Onward! Now I know and get ready, cause I've got the fever.

Plus, what great gifts these would make. You could save the root, then divide it come planting time and give it away as gifts! Make the world more beautiful!

cheers to the Dahlia.

The American Dahlia Society

snow!

Reading a few things this weekend.

This one is good. This one is really good.

I haven't touched Rushdie since finishing my thesis in '07 and its very much like running into an old friend. His familiar narrative style, running on and on, moving in and out of reality feels like home. Themes of multiplicity, nations, food, smell, and most of all, stories are as strong and rich here as any other of his books.

Like other Rushdie novels, "the Enchantress of Florence" is full of stories. Overflowing with the voices of their stories drive the characters to complete Rushdie's. Remember Scheherazade, lying under the kings bed entertaining him with such good stories he eventually decides not to kill her? Rushdie's characters are driven by that same urge; to tell a story that will change, save or destroy lives.

Within his narrative, I've noticed that Rushdie is in a way, explaining his own compulsion towards story telling. Its not necessarily a conscious choice to write; instead it is like what Flannery O'Connor said: "To write is better than not writing".

I try to stay away from autobiographical readings of books, but that one point seems to be pretty clear. 

I haven't finished it yet, but here's a quote from the beginning. I read it ten times over before moving on:

"He could dream in seven languages: Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Persian, Russian, English, and Portuguese. He had picked up languages the way most sailors picked up diseases: languages were his gonorrhea, his syphilis, his scurvy, his ague, his plague. As soon as he fell asleep half the world started babbling in his brain, telling wondrous travelers' tales. In this half-discovered world every day brought news of fresh enchantments. The visionary, revelatory dream-poetry of the quotidian had not yet been crushed by blinkered prosy fact. Himself a teller of tales, he had been driven out of his door by stories of wonder, and by one in particular, a story which could make his fortune or else cost him his life".

Note how Rushdie makes language analogous to diseases; the gift of storytelling is hardly some fluffy happy gift which makes every one feel warm inside. It is, for this character at least, imposed upon him; he can't do anything about it. His blessing is his curse. He HAS to tell it. For better or worse.

For a lighter note, I'm on this:

This is about as much as can be expected.
I'm a sucker for conspiracy theories.

Miss Rumphius: My own hero

Since my last post, I've had a birthday, in which my mother gave me this for a b-day gift:

Consequently, this is also one of the few children's books that made it to my list. One of our favorites growing up, "Miss Rumphius" has stood the test of time and like all good books, the message remains pertinent. This is quite possibly one of my personal favorites; I get choked up to this day reading it.

Written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, "Miss Rumphius" is a simple tale about growing up, travel, and doing something to "make the world more beautiful". And, like many simple things, it captures the sublime.
In it, we meet Alice, a young girl who likes to help her grandfather paint. She listens to his stories and plans her own adventures when she is grown. Once she is grown, she realizes that she hasn't had her adventures and begins to fix that.

Of all the reasons I love this book (and believe me, I ADORE it!), I'll just talk about these three elements


A) The Art: Barbara Cooney has really caught onto a delicate style that reminds me of those old nature drawings. The colors are rich, each picture tells a bit of Alice's story in itself (see the paintings of her grandfather's travels) and best of all, Miss Cooney managed to capture the east coast and its nature.

B) The themes of childhood vs adulthood and travel: Miss Rumphius listens to stories of far away lands and plans to travel there when she is older. Eventually she does and after a time returns home. While simple, Miss Rumphius's story is heart aching to return to as an adult in the same delicious way it was exciting as a child. My change in perspective when I read this book is enhanced by the fact that the book itself is about change. Its about dreams and the fruition of those dreams. The unknown and the celebration of home. Every child dreams of travel and adventure.

C) Actively making your world more beautiful. Grace Lee Boggs speaks of the garden teaching us a respect for the Earth. Working with the land teaches us care and responsibility over the land and ourselves. Working the earth and watching your flowers and vegetables grow is better than any anti depressant. also, gardening makes things pretty! Which makes people happy! Which is what its all about folks! Contributing to beauty, actively taking part in that cycle is a brave brave road and the rewards are many.

SO, on looking back, I am aware that this is all so cheesy. But hey, I'm a super cheese ball. And I think this is important. If you're looking for a book to read to your kids this evening, I promise this one will become a family classic.