I just got this book. Last summer I read Julia Child's My Life in France and couldn't get enough of her descriptions of French culture, cooking, and shopping for food. So I'm trying out another food story.

I have a weird aversion to fiction lately. I get twenty pages into a novel and I'm bored with it. I've tried to stay committed to fiction by reading short stories in The New Yorker. Every once in awhile I'll pick up Flannery O'Connor, Andre Dubus, or Raymond Carver. It seems that for me to get past the 20-30 page mark, it's got to be based in some real person's reality. Non-fiction that involves storytelling does the trick.

Any suggestions on a great piece of fiction you've read lately? Favorite pieces of fiction in my past include One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Bell Jar, The Passion, and Tarzan of the Apes (yes, I freaking loved that book).

"The Human Voice" from StoryCorps

I was reading a family member's blog this morning; a few days ago he posted this StoryCorps interview with Studs Terkel. Listen to his reflections on riding the train in the Atlanta airport. We could all use more of the human voice in our lives.

I think of the human voice as more than auditory expression. I think of the human hand and the urge to make something with my hands every day. It is a desire to speak, just in a different sense. It seems to me that I speak better through my hands than my mouth. I have a thought and right when I get close to vocalizing it, I can't quite translate it seamlessly with the way that it is experienced inside my head. (Not that I consistently experience seamless expression with what I make, but I feel like I get closer.) This disparity has actually increased proportionate to my increased involvement in painting, drawing, designing, and sewing. I've been pondering exactly why this is happening. It's akin to trying to master two languages at once, inevitably to result in being stronger in one of them.

A new baby blanket I've added to the shop. I'm enjoying the process of expanding my line of goods.

Around here lately....

• Hens and chicks on the deck. All of the plants are benefiting from the rain we've gotten lately.
• Dill blossoms from the dill we're growing, and my knitting in the corner of the photo. Our table and chairs belonged to my great-grandparents. See all of our books? Notice all of the ones from the library. Those belong to Ryan, who is writing his dissertation.
• I canned last week, and boy, was that an experience. Let me just say that if you are interested in canning, buy a whopping large stockpot, or just get an all-out canner (the latter is a necessity if the recipe calls for it). I didn't need a canner for making pickles, so I just used my stockpot. The problem is that I got the process started and then realized that my stockpot would only hold two cans at a time. Whoops. Canning eight pints turned into a half-day affair. Ah well. I used Ashley English's book Canning and Preserving: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More. I found it easy to follow. I used the "Basic, All-Purpose Brine for Pickling" recipe. I tried pickles from one jar and they seemed too salty. In all fairness though, I reduced the amount of sugar that the recipe called for (it stated this as an option), so that probably accounts for the saltiness. I think that next time I won't add a pepper either, because the pickles were a little too spicy. It's all a learning process. I'll definitely can again.
• Shiso plants out back. I need to look into recipes.

This past weekend we went to ICE Atlanta and I got to chat with my new friend Jill, owner of LylahG. She makes wee little booties and hats, stroller blankies, burb cloths, and hooded towels. Here are some pictures of her pretty booth. I can't get over all of the little booties. I marvel at how she can knit so many of them! Be sure to check her out on Etsy.

I can't say enough about how important it is to have friends in the crafting community. Sometimes you need that face-to-face engagement with others who are engaged in your endeavors, as it can feel a little solitary to work at home alone all day. It's nice to know people in your city that you can talk shop with, support and encourage. It helps that Jill is a fun person to hang with, too!

New baby bibs in the shop.

How was your weekend? Here are some scenes from mine.

• We got our first veggie box of the season. All of it is beautiful and delicious. I'm going to can some pickles. It will be my first time canning; look for a post on that topic soon.
• I finished two custom-order duvet covers.
• This gorgeous quilt from Etsy seller BlueTeddy came to me in the mail.

Other things happened this weekend, like installing a new ceiling light in my workroom and getting a new work table. On Sunday we went and looked around at ICE Atlanta, which is another topic I'll be posting on soon.

Hope everyone's Monday was a lovely one!

Around the house.

• Brewing iced jasmine green tea
• My new/old ironing board I got in Ohio this past weekend
• Wrapping up packages for shipping

I inaugurated the beginning of my summer break with a bout of bronchitis, but now I am all better! (Thank you, miracle Z-Pac!) As soon as I started climbing my way out of the sickness, I couldn't wait to get to finishing the knitting I had been working on in this spring. First up were some legwarmers for little ones and a baby blanket that I just needed to block. I had been working on knitting projects as a way to feel like I had something of my own while I was putting in so much time for my teaching. Now I am loving all of this time to make and create. I've constructed a few new things for the shop which I am hoping to post today before we start off tomorrow for a trip back home for a wedding. Expect much more posting this summer and many more items added to the shop!

It is amazing the difference that I feel when I have the ability to simply chose what I am going to do with my day. I feel so good about myself and incredibly productive. I feel happy and alive. I woke up this morning and went with Ryan to get a bagel and coffee. Then I picked out some new makeup---Dr. Hauschka and ZuZu eyeshadow. And I got some new Avalon Organics Rosemary lotion. I didn't feel any time constraints and I just looked and perused while Ryan read the paper and drank his coffee. Ahh.

• Striped Little Legwarmers (Pattern by Alana Dakos)
• Striped Little Legwarmers No. 2 (Pattern by Alana Dakos)
• Bestemorteppe Blanket (Pattern by May B. Langhelle)