on art + books

what a busy weekend we had! but so enriching in many ways, so let me share. and a reminder to me of why i love Madison so much. i just wish i had more energy to go out every time there's something going on!!

considering that i am usually in my pajamas by 7 pm, it was quite a feat that we were out late on friday night, way past everyone's threshold, for Gallery Night. we hit just one spot (i don't think i could have handled any more), Winnebago Studio, where my friend Rachelle has her studio, along with many other artists. there will be more about this great space later as i will be participating in an art show there that Rachelle is putting on for November. it's always such an inspiration to visit other artists' studio spaces and to see the works they are creating. there was great live music too. when the kids started to complain of hunger, we went out to eat dinner with some friends. apart from almost setting the restaurant on fire, we did pretty well. :) (one of the napkins landed on top of the candle and we had no idea until a hole had burned through!)

then on saturday, i attended one of the readings at the Wisconsin Book Festival. it was Ngugi wa Thiongo and his son, Mukoma wa Ngugi. unfortunately, Cordelia did NOT sleep through the talk, but she did very very well and sat through most of it. i had to slip out about 10 minutes before it ended, but i got to buy two books and was almost at the front of the queue waiting to get my books signed. the two writers loved Cordelia and couldn't get enough of her. :) the reading sparked my memory and imagination. it felt good to hear writings about Kenya, so different from my mine, yet the same. i am really looking forward to reading these books: Ngugi wa Thiongo's Dreams in a Time of War, and Mukoma wa Ngugi's Nairobi Heat.

i promise to have more photos posted this week. i dropped off some rolls of film so i should be getting them back soon.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o is coming to Madison!!

who is he, you ask? he is the Kenyan author who taught me so much about the Mau Mau and the parts of Kenya that you don't see in stories like "Out of Africa". while i am a devoted fan of Isak Dinesen, i equally admire the works of Ngugi wa Thiong'o. if you are a local and want to join me, let me know. he is coming here for the Wisconsin Book Festival which will take place early October. book lovers, come on out!

Summer Reading #2

this is a fun book to read. i've read it out loud to the girls and both of them love it. i'm thinking of having Skye read this herself this summer. Clementine is a modern version of Ramona Quimby, according to the lady at the bookstore when i bought it. i think that's a pretty good picture of Clementine, except her personality is so lovable. i have to say, next to Ann Shirley, Clementine is one of my favourite redheads.

Summer Reading #1

as we prepare for the summer, i've been thinking about books, especially for Skye to read over summer break. this book, Happy Times in Noisy Village, is a favourite which will be on the list for Skye. i will make more recommendations over the next few months. i would love to hear what you and your children are reading over the summer!

In pursuit of organic eating...

so, it's been over 10 years since i switched over to eating organic, but this is the first time we've bought beef in bulk. we are getting a quarter of an organic-bred cow. Phil and i had been discussing for months about this and we finally decided to take the plunge. we bought a freezer for our basement which will arrive on friday and then this weekend, Phil will go and bring our quarter of a cow home. the benefit of this is that we will get cuts of meat that are usually way too expensive for us. my mind is already swirling with the possibilities. :)

while we're on the topic of organic food, i recently read Michael Pollan's "the Botany of Desire". it was an interesting read - he discusses how the apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato have shaped our society and lives. i have to say, i found the potato chapter the most interesting because he discusses the potato farmers. and while i knew conventional farming methods could be pretty bad, i had no idea to what extent. i don't think i could ever look at a potato the same way. the book did reinforce our need to think about what we eat and where our food comes from.

Italo Calvino's "Six Memos for the Next Millennium"

i have loved Italo Calvino's fiction since my graduate school days and have picked up this book recently. it is a series of lectures he was supposed to give when he passed away, so there's actually 5 "memos" - the sixth was never completed. i wanted to share an excerpt from the chapter titled "Quickness". while he writes about the writing process, i think in so many ways, it is about life too.

"A writer's work has to take account of many rhythms...a message of urgency obtained by dint of patient and meticulous adjustments and an intuition so instantaneous that, when formulated, it acquires the finality of something that could never have been otherwise. but it is also the rhythm of time that passes with no other aim than to let feelings and thoughts settle down, mature, and shed all impatience or ephemeral contingency.

"I began this lecture by telling a story. let me end it with another story, this time Chinese: among Chuang-tzu's many skills, he was an expert draftsman. the king asked him to draw a crab. Chuang-tzu replied that he needed five years, a country house, and twelve servants. five years later the drawing was still not begun. 'i need another five years,' said Chuang-tzu. the king granted them. at the end of these ten years, Chuang-tzu took up his brush and, in an instant, with a single stroke, he drew a crab, the most perfect crab ever seen."

Children's books

have any of you read some good children's books lately? would love some titles if you come across interesting ones. Skye loves books and Claire is beginning to show interest in books too. Claire actually looks at some of the pictures now instead of eating the pages! she makes cooing sounds and acts like she's reading - very cute. with Skye, we recently finished reading Ramona the Pest. she enjoyed all of Ramona's crazy antics and thought Ramona was very "silly." while she found Ramona's character funny, i'm not sure she related. perhaps i related more than Skye since i'm a second child like Ramona. but, the book inspired Skye to write her own book and that's been quite exciting. Skye spent several days writing and drawing her own book, "Ramona goes to the store", and we've read it many times. when i told her that i was writing a book and showed her the manuscript i'm working on, she sort of looked at me funny and then said, wow, that's a lot of words.

we also love this book - Windy. the illustrations are fabulous and there are instructions on how to build a kite!

happy reading!