Invasives, Pollinators, and the Oldest Independent Bookstore in PA

Last week I went to visit John's sister and her husband to help with some scheduling issues they had. My niece was traveling so my SiL was staying with her son and making sure he got to school, that there was someone at home when he got home from school, and then there was some nagging about homework to be done. My BiL also had to be driven to cardiac rehab that was an hour away, plus we hadn't seen them since his big open heart surgery.

It was great to see how well my BiL Bill is doing, gaining more energy and strength every week. He feels he'll be ready to return to Silver Sneakers at the YMCA in the next few weeks. It turns out that fourth graders don't seem to have nearly as much homework as I recall my own kids having, but I wasn't going to resort to searching my grandnephew's backpack. We did play quite a bit of Animal Crossing and being the "Grand Aunt" that I am, I gave him a million bells (Animal Crossing currency) to pay off his mortgage. 

But it wasn't all transportation and child tending. While we were in Williamsport for cardiac rehab, I got to browse the oldest independent bookstore in PA. Otto Bookstore was established in 1841 and is still going strong. They had a wonderful selection of books and it was so enjoyable to browse a real brick-and-mortar bookstore, something I haven't done in a long time. I was overcome by the book fumes and bought myself hardcover copies of The Comfort of Crows and The Backyard Bird Chronicles. I don't often have the opportunity to support an independent bookstore, but it was a win-win for me. 

 

We also attended a native plant and pollinator workshop. (The photos from that aren't the best because I was taking pictures of projected slides. Sorry; I hope you can read them.) I learned some new things, like Burning Bush, Norway maple, English Ivy, Pachysandra, Butterfly Bush, and Common Periwinkle are all invasive species. These plants are all quite common in my neighborhood! Our town cut down all the Bradford Pear trees that were lining Main Street and there was a big outcry, but now I understand why they got rid of them.

I also learned that there are many Native Bee species that are responsible for pollinating about one third of our crops. They tend to nest in the ground or in hollow pithy plant stems.

I might try making a bee house if I can gather enough hollow plant stems. I think this will be a good simple project as spring approaches, and it might even make me feel as good as supporting an independent bookstore!

It's National Poetry Month!

And we've got Hope! To celebrate National Poetry Month, several of us are sharing poetry with you on Thursdays in April. Today's topic is about something we can all use more of, wherever and whenever we can find it - Hope. 

 

A House Called Tomorrow

by Alberto Rios

You are not fifteen, or twelve, or seventeen—
You are a hundred wild centuries

And fifteen, bringing with you
In every breath and in every step

Everyone who has come before you,
All the yous that you have been,

The mothers of your mother,
The fathers of your father.

If someone in your family tree was trouble,
A hundred were not:

The bad do not win—not finally,
No matter how loud they are.

We simply would not be here
If that were so.

You are made, fundamentally, from the good.
With this knowledge, you never march alone.

You are the breaking news of the century.
You are the good who has come forward

Through it all, even if so many days
Feel otherwise.  But think:

When you as a child learned to speak,
It’s not that you didn’t know words—

It’s that, from the centuries, you knew so many,
And it’s hard to choose the words that will be your own.

From those centuries we human beings bring with us
The simple solutions and songs,

The river bridges and star charts and song harmonies
All in service to a simple idea:

That we can make a house called tomorrow.
What we bring, finally, into the new day, every day,

Is ourselves.  And that’s all we need
To start.  That’s everything we require to keep going. 

Look back only for as long as you must,
Then go forward into the history you will make.

Be good, then better.  Write books.  Cure disease.
Make us proud.  Make yourself proud.

And those who came before you?  When you hear thunder,
Hear it as their applause.

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Rios, Alberto. "A House called Tomorrow." Not Go Far Away Is My Name, Copper Canyon Press, 2020.  

You can read more about the poet here.

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Be sure to check in with Kym, Kat, Sarah, and Vera (there is a linkup below) for more poetry full of hope today, and join us next Thursday for more poems in celebration of National Poetry Month. (And remember that any time is good for poetry, not just Thursdays in April!) 

Unraveled Wednesday: 4/2/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with a bit of progress on the pair of socks. 

 

I did cast on with the Wollmeise for a new Hitchhiker, but haven't gotten too far. I'd like to finish up the socks soon(ish) and concentrate on the Hitchhiker but I've got loads of laundry to do, lots of seeds to start, and too many ARCs that I need to read, so it will take as long as it takes. 

 

I finished Emma Pattee's debut novel, Tilt, a gripping narrative set against the backdrop of a massive earthquake in Portland, Oregon. The story follows Annie, who, at nine months pregnant, finds herself stranded at IKEA when disaster strikes. With no means to contact her husband and the city in chaos, Annie embarks on a perilous journey to find him, encountering both the depths and heights of human nature along the way.

Pattee's portrayal of Annie's internal struggles while making her way on buckled highways and past crushed buildings—her reflections on a faltering marriage, unfulfilled career aspirations, and impending motherhood—adds depth to the survival narrative. The novel effectively captures the protagonist's anxieties and desires, making her a realistic and relatable figure for many readers.

I found that the novel's pacing occasionally faltered, with the non-linear narrative and some of the introspective passages slowing down the otherwise tense story. Additionally, certain inconsistencies, such as descriptions of Annie's attire, may momentarily disrupt immersion. But Pattee's prose is well-written, so I could imagine Annie's sunburn, intense thirst, and the horrific magnitude of the chaos. I started reading the book without any idea of the storyline and found it quite unsettling, but that was mainly because it was such an intense subject. The ending felt incomplete and open-ended.

Overall, Tilt is a compelling exploration of human resilience and vulnerability in the face of catastrophe. While it has its imperfections, the novel's raw emotional portrayal and thought-provoking themes make it a worthwhile read. Three and a half stars but I couldn't round up because of that ending. 

 

What are you making and reading this week?

Unraveled Wednesday: 3/26/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with some progress on a sock. I was knitting along quite quickly and even dug out another skein of self-striping yarn from my stash. You know, just in case the knitting elves stopped by and finished this pair for me. It was a bit premature as I haven't even completed one sock of this current pair. But knitters' hopes spring eternal, so I will continue with the current socks and hope to cast on for a new Hitchhiker this afternoon.

I finished two average three-star books this week. Every Tom, Dick & Harry was a complete bit of fluff, with much of it bordering on preposterous. Emma Lewis takes over her parents' estate sale business and moves into their house when they retire; her high-school math teacher rents a room in the house; she ends up running the estate sale at a former B&B/"house of ill repute" in her hometown, and there is a tiny bit of a mystery thrown into the plot. But this book was entertaining enough that it provided a welcome diversion from the terrible current affairs, and for that I gave it an extra half star. 

 

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green is an interesting, if at times meandering, exploration of how tuberculosis has shaped human history, literature, and public health. As always, Green’s writing is deeply personal, blending his curiosity with poignant reflection. He has a gift for making even the most niche subjects feel engaging, and his trademark footnotes and asides add to the narrative.

That said, the book sometimes struggles with cohesion. The essay-style structure occasionally feels disjointed here, with some chapters delving deeply into historical case studies while others feel more like personal musings with only a loose connection to the central theme. Readers looking for a more structured historical or deeper scientific analysis might find it lacking.

Still, Green’s passion for the subject is evident, and his ability to weave together cultural criticism, medical history, and personal anecdotes makes for an insightful (if slightly uneven) read. The book serves as a good reminder that tuberculosis is not a disease of the past, and we would do well to pay attention now and spend the necessary money on treatment so we don't end up with a greater number of cases that are multi-drug-resistant. Fans of his previous nonfiction work will likely enjoy it, but those expecting a more traditional deep dive into tuberculosis may want to supplement it with other sources. He does helpfully provide suggested books for further reading.

I'm up visiting John's sister and her husband (the one who had open heart surgery) so I won't be posting for a few days. Instead I'll be helping with transport to cardiac rehab., urging a ten-year-old to do his homework before we play Animal Crossing, and maybe doing a bit of cooking. I'll be back sometime next week.

What are you making and reading this week?

 

Read With Us: The Secret History Discussion

Today is the discussion day for our Read With Us winter book, The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

Kym, Carole, and I are each posting a discussion question or two on our blogs today, and you are welcome to respond in the comments. I would also encourage you to reply to others' comments if you choose.  This is a book discussion, after all, so there are no correct answers or right opinions. I've been looking forward to discussing this book, even though I've been thinking of it as The Bunch of Awful Privileged Characters and the Morally Bankrupt Man That Taught Them. I don't know of a better bunch of people for a book discussion than all of you.

So my questions are about Julian Morrow, the Classics professor. Julian finds out about the murders in the section after he receives that heartbreaking final letter from Bunny. When Richard sees Julian’s reaction, he mentally reclassifies Julian as no longer a “good parent” but someone “ambiguous, a moral neutral, whose beguiling trappings concealed a being watchful, capricious, and heartless.” What did you think of Julian? He is an enigmatic and charismatic presence in The Secret History, revered by his students for his deep knowledge of the Classics and his unconventional teaching methods. To what extent do you think Julian is a true mentor and father figure, and how much of his influence is merely performative? Does he genuinely care for his students, or is he more of a detached observer? Considering his role in shaping their worldview, do you believe he bears any responsibility for the events that unfold, including the murders? Why or why not?

 

I'll be glad to share my thoughts about these questions tonight during our Zoom discussion. These questions on our blogs and the Zoom discussion are your chance to express your ideas. So what do you think? I can't wait to hear your thoughts! (And I'm counting on our discussion to give me fresh perspectives in my own thinking about this novel.)

The in-person Zoom discussion will be at 7:00 pm Eastern this evening. If you haven't RSVP'd to Kym already you can send me an email (the email address is in the upper right) and I will make sure you get an invitation with the Zoom link. I hope to see you there!

 

On Food

Last weekend seemed to revolve around food. It started on Friday when Ryan had a pork roast, some chicken thighs, and a half gallon of milk all spoil in his refrigerator. I recommended that he get a refrigerator thermometer and check the temperature and then we would proceed from there. 

After a few hours, the temperature seemed to settle on 42 degrees which is really too warm for a refrigerator. I found a repair person who was willing to come Saturday morning to assess the problem and Ryan vacuumed the coils and cleaned the fans. When he woke up early Saturday morning, the temperature had stabilized at 35 degrees. We cancelled the repair person as there was no sense paying for a service call when there didn't appear to be anything to repair. 

I had planned to make a pork loin on Saturday and some crockpot tortellini on Sunday, but I switched them around. I wasn't sure if I would be going over to Ryan's to rescue all the things in his freezer on Saturday and if I would be back in time to do the pork loin. It turned out that my Saturday was essentially free after I had dumped everything in the crockpot, so I sat and knit on my sock while I watched Barefoot Contessa. I've never watched her show before, but I noticed some things during my viewing marathon that I thought might help with my own preparing and serving of food.

Daffodils in a vase are an arrangement low enough to see over.

• I need to use more adjectives when John asks what's for dinner. Instead of saying "pork", I should reply with "succulent loin of pork, marinated with fragrant garlic, rosemary, and wine".
  

• I should say "really good" more often, as in "I used good vanilla", or "This is really good olive oil". 

• Prosciutto wrapped around things (figs, melon slices) sound like easy and delicious appetizers, and they can be served at room temperature. She did make an accompaniment to a salad by wrapping hard salami around a breadstick, but that seemed a little ghetto for Ina.

• Always describe arugula as "peppery".  

• John will appreciate dinner more if I tell him that "I turned the flavor up."

• Ask loudly "How easy is that?" at frequent intervals while cooking.  

I do appreciate how she doesn't make really fancy and complicated dishes and her enthusiasm for good food is contagious, but after a whole afternoon of Ina, I was ready for a plain grilled cheese sandwich, made without turning the flavor up in any way.

 

A Gathering of Poetry: March 2025

It's the third Thursday of the month so I'd like to welcome you to A Gathering of Poetry. I don't know where I found this poem, but I love the word "swobtoggle", so I've been saving it until flowers and grass were beginning to get "high on the expensive chemistry of their mitochondrial explosion."

Happy Little Grass Cells (actually vascular bundles, xylem and phloem) as seen under magnification.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please Don't

by Tony Hoagland 

tell the flowers—they think

the sun loves them.

The grass is under the same

simple-minded impression

about the rain, the fog, the dew.

And when the wind blows,

it feels so good

they lose control of themselves

and swobtoggle wildly

around, bumping accidentally into their

slender neighbors.

Forgetful little lotus-eaters,

solar-powered

hydroholics, drawing nourishment up

through stems into their

thin green skin,

high on the expensive

chemistry of mitochondrial explosion,

believing that the dirt

loves them, the night, the stars—

reaching down a little deeper

with their pale albino roots,

all Dizzy

Gillespie with the utter

sufficiency of everything.

They don't imagine lawn

mowers, the four stomachs

of the cow, or human beings with boots

who stop to marvel

at their exsquisite

flexibility and color.

They persist in their soft-headed

hallucination of happiness.

But please don't mention it.

Not yet. Tell me

what would you possibly gain

from being right?

 

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Tony Hoagland, "Please Don’t" from Application for Release from the Dream. Copyright © 2015 by Tony Hoagland.

You can read more about the poet here.

 

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Thank you for reading and joining us for our monthly Gathering of Poetry. You are

more than welcome to add your link below if you would like to share one of your

favorite poems. The more the merrier!