The In-Between - August
Elderberries, A Humane Act of Kindness, Book Lists, Zucchini Galore, & Ten Minute Challenge
The In-Between is a once-a-month chatty letter to you. Pretend we are visiting in lounge chairs, drinking a chilled beverage, chatting. This is my contribution to the conversation. Do chat back in the comments.
Books, Books, and More Books
According to Wikipedia, the US publishes close to 400k books each year.
I only want to read or listen to 75-100 books each year. I appreciate any help with the selection process.
Since I utilize my library as much as possible, I don’t seek books on best-seller lists because the wait for those books can extend into several months. I’ll eventually get around to them.
Enter book recommendation lists!
Here are three I have been perusing:
I don’t fully understand my attraction to murder mysteries and psychological thrillers, nor can I explain why I listen to stories about the darker side of humanity while nurturing life in the sunny garden, but the stories get me out to the garden each day and sometimes keep me working in the garden for just-one-more-chapter. A really good book? I will have my earbuds in most of the day! Should I be worried about this darker side? No harm done…yet. I was thrilled to see the NYT's recent list of The 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century. (gift link)
Earlier this year, The Guardian published their list of the 100 Best Novels in English and received so much feedback from readers about missing books that they created a Readers List of Favorite Novels. One thing is certain: readers have strong opinions about the books they read, like, and dislike.
There’s a growing collection of fiction books that incorporate medicinal herbs, herbalism, and herbalists. Historical fiction, cozy mysteries, sci-fi, witchy tales, and international stories are part of this plant-focused genre. Herbalist Juliet Blankenspoor of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine has created a crowd-sourced list of Fiction Books Featuring Herbalists and Herbalism. I’ve read about half of the books on the list and am excited to see titles new to me. I started in the 1990s with Susan Albert Wittig’s China Bayles series and credit these books with encouraging my herbal studies. (Susan has been discussing her writing, planning, and development of her many books on her Substack.)
A Humane Act of Kindness: An Emergency Bridge Closure
I live in a small community on the Washington side of the mighty Columbia River, and the closest bridge that crosses the river connects us to Hood River on the Oregon side. Many people cross that bridge each day to work, shop, eat out, visit friends, for medical care, to windsurf, head to the mountains, and get to the interstate.
While writing yesterday, I noticed a message from our bridge authority, announcing an emergency closure of the bridge at 4 pm for 30 minutes. Emergency closures are usually because of accidents on the narrow two-lane, 102-year-old metal bridge.
Imagine my delight to see this photo:
This young osprey fell out of its nest, located on top of the bridge, was rescued, and then treated for lead poisoning (ugh!). Wildlife experts advised returning the youngster to the nest ASAP.
So the bridge closed, during a typically busy time on a Friday afternoon, stopping traffic from both sides to return a youngster to his/her home.
More of these actions, please.
The Ten Minute Challenge
Offered once a month by the NYT, this challenge asks you to look closely at a provided painting. I have learned more about art and also discovered that ten minutes is a long time to look at a painting (a timer is provided). That focused time reveals so much. When you are done, you can scroll through the short descriptions of technique, color, and the history of the art. Here’s August’s Challenge.
Zucchini Chips
My vegetable challenge this year is dealing with the zucchini and summer squash that my five plants are producing. Why five plants? In an effort to use up older seeds, I planted about 15 seeds, thinking that I would be lucky to get one or two plants. Five seeds germinated, and I honored their determination by planting them.
This week’s effort: Zucchini Chips with Pizza Seasoning
I also marinated diced zucchini with red onion and bell peppers in balsamic vinegar and roasted them (supposed to be grilled but the smoke…).
Next up: Zucchini bread
Help! Post your favorite zucchini recipe in the comments.
It’s Elderberry Season
I’ve updated my Wild Stories: Elderberry article, adding medicinal uses and three recipes. Now is the time to make cold & flu herbal remedies, and elderberry is at the top of the list.
The Most Famous Quote with the Word Elderberry
“You empty-headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!”
Trivia question: What is the quote from?
Love this post. Your publication is exactly what I want to see in my inbox, so I subscribed! And the word elderberry? Always reminds me of the TV show The Waltons (my favorite show growing up), with the Baldwin sisters who are always getting drunk on elderberry wine. Ha ha.
Sue, how lovely. We're about to plant an elderberry bush, so I'll definitely check out your linked essay with recipes. Thank you for sharing the wonder of the young osprey. What a great photo! I'm intrigued by book lists and appreciate you curating several here. Happy August.