Online book club and more!
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Welcome to the DreamTime Publishing blog. We love books, all books, even books not published by DreamTime!
We have two main purposes for our blog: One is to host an online book club, where readers can respond to our thoughts about books by their favorite authors.
Two is to allow readers to post questions about relationships, job issues, etc. We in turn will give a bit of informal input — remember that if you want professional advice, you should seek a professional. We are not holding ourselves out as experts on any of the topics we discuss. Our advice will more times than not be based on books we’ve found to be especially useful, books that will hopefully allow you to resolve underlying, recurring issues.
Thanks for having a look. Comment early and often, and happy reading!
Posted by: — Meg
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Lessons
May 12, 2008 | 7:00 pm
May 13, 2008
Yesterday I learned a very basic lesson about gardening:
Don’t plant seeds on a windy day.
You’d think this would be obvious, along the lines of “Plants will die without water” or “In Vermont, you can still get frost in May.” But you know? I’ve never seen this obvious little item in the myriad gardening books I’ve read or browsed, even though some of them have been at the level of “Open the seed packet . . .”
But when the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the air temp is mild enough for T-shirts, even with a frisky breeze, well, one’s thoughts turn to planting. And when one is prone toward dreaminess, one tends to miss the obvious now and then.
I had the wit to cup the seeds in my hand against the air current, but not the presence of mind to realize that they weigh 0.00000001 oz. and are in fact designed by nature to convey themselves on the wind, tra la. So during that fragile moment when I plucked the minuscule seed between thumb and forefinger and moved it the few inches between my palm and the soil, whooosh! Away it went. Another one rolled off my fingertip and dropped out of sight outside the planter. A few more blew out of my cupped palm during a gust.
D’uh!!!
Makes me wonder how much seed is lost by farmers and larger-scale gardeners who use a broadcasting method. I have such a small garden that I plant each seed where it’s slated to grow rather than strew now, thin later (a practice encouraged by Mel Bartholomew in his Square Foot Gardening system. It works — unless you’re not paying attention and lose your seeds!).
One of life’s miracles that draws so many people to gardening is the process by which a microdot of matter grows into a flower, or food. Same concept applies to mammals, of course — we all came from a little seed we can’t see. But mammalian micro-matter is usually safe from wind, so take care when you’re planting. Else your zinnias and carrots might end up in somebody else’s yard!
Carolyn Haley
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
Posted by: Opening the heart, gardens, gardening, yard, plants, cultivation, spring — Carolyn Haley
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Read to Feed
May 7, 2008 | 7:42 am
Another DreamTime author, Kelly Smith (Open Your Heart with Quilting) turned me on to this extraordinary event that happened in her community and that I’d love to see spread to others.
A teacher at a local elementary school organized a “Read to Feed” program with his third-grade class. The goal was for the kids to read a combined 9,000 minutes at home; if they did, then a local grocery store would organize a $500 shopping spree to benefit a food pantry.
The students took the mission seriously and read for a combined 16,900 minutes; the store director was so overwhelmed that he doubled the donation. The children did the shopping themselves, armed with calculators and carts and with the help of mentors, after which they formed a fireman’s line outside the rescue mission to pass the 15 carts’ worth of food––3,459 pounds in all––in to food pantry staff. “We’re definitely feeding more families now,” said the mission director. “The numbers are way up compared to last year.”
Want your kids to read more? Want to support the hungry in your community? Read to Feed could be the answer for you, too!
–– Jeannette Cézanne
www.JeannetteCezanne.com
Open Your Heart with Reading
Posted by: reading, reading books, Opening the heart — jcezanne
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Edible landscaping
May 6, 2008 | 9:51 am
“Edible landscaping” has become a buzzword in gardening lately. It means cultivating edible plants — vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs — instead of solely flowers, and integrating them into a garden design versus setting aside a food plot.
To me, however, the term means eating from your yard, regardless of whether you plant something or forage from the wild. I’ve always been keen on learning what’s edible and medicinal in the wild without actually wanting to consume or process the plants. So since I’ve fallen behind on my studies in recent years, it’s time to brush up.
First wildflower to bloom on my turf is coltsfoot. This is a peculiar little plant, in that the blossoms come weeks before the leaves. Yet the leaves are what it’s named for, forming a crude shape of a horse’s hoof viewed from below. The flowers are a yellow disk of thin rays, similar to a dandelion, one each atop a scaly stalk tinged with red. They open during the day and close at night, and stay closed during raw weather. The plant grows throughout the northeast in what the guidebooks call “waste ground.” Here I find it in the the moist, sandy soil found at roadside, even where salted in winter.
A native of Europe, it’s considered invasive in America in that it will form large colonies and push out native plants. I’ve never seen it spread; mostly it grows where nothing else wants to. It’s very welcome along my driveway as an announcer of spring.
Coltsfoot flowers disappear about the time the trees come into foliage. Its leaves follow, growing as big as horse hooves and sometimes dessert plates! The leaves have been used for centuries as a folk remedy, made into teas, decoctions, even smoke to treat sore throats, coughs, asthma, bronchitis, and lung congestion. Modern research, however, has turned up a chemical in them which can do bad things to your liver, so use is now discouraged. However, if you’re ever in a survival situation you can burn the leaves and use the ash as a salt substitute.
In ordinary times, you can just admire them. They lead the yellow parade that marches through in spring: coltsfoot, daffodils, forsythia, marsh marigolds, dandelions — all of which bring sunshine to any day and highlight the bright new green of the season.
PERPETUAL DISCLAIMER: Don’t mess with wild edibles without training!
Posted by: Opening the heart — Carolyn Haley
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Magazines, Anyone?
May 1, 2008 | 12:22 pm
I’ve seen so many statistics on the demise of the printed (as opposed to electronic) word, that I sometimes think that newspapers and magazines are quickly becoming a Thing Of The Past. Not, however, if my family has anything to say about it!
Having moved recently, I’ve had to perform an inventory of our magazine subscriptions — not what we read online, but what actually comes to us as dead trees through the USPS. And I found (somewhat to my surprise) that it’s a hefty list:
- Smithsonian
- Wired
- Ms
- Sojourners
- Car and Driver
- Equus
- Poets and Writers
- Seed
- Technology Review
- Glimmer Train
Don’t get me wrong: I do read a lot of material online, and I do want to save as many trees as possible. But I am one of those who still loves the physicality of reading: touching the pages, turning the pages, underlining a passage, putting an asterisk next to a concept or news item to which I want to return.
What about you? What’s your subscription list look like? Do you read more online or off?
Inquiring minds want to know!
РJeannette C̩zanne
www.JeannetteCezanne.com
Open Your Heart with Reading
Posted by: reading, Opening the heart — jcezanne
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The joys of Zone 3
April 29, 2008 | 8:44 pm
4/29/08
Spring is such a tease. We just finished what might be a record-breaking stretch of gorgeous weather — two solid weeks of sunny, dry, warm — during which the ground changed from bare to green, the perennials jumped up 6-12 inches, the early flowering shrubs and bulbs came into bloom, the cool-season seeds germinated. This wonderful run ended with a 4″ rainfall, to be followed now by 3 days in the 40s and nights in the 20s.
Arrgggghhhhh!
All the potted plants on the deck have to go back inside. All the tender blossoms and sprouts must be covered. The windows closed again, the furnace reactivated, extra layers of clothing donned. Six months of winter, two weeks off, now back to winter again. (Yes, the word “snow” has snuck back into the forecast as well.)
Arrrggggghhhh!
I’m afraid to look outside tomorrow morning to see what got killed or damaged by the cold. Still, things are better than last year: At this time, we still had snow on the ground (a big nor’easter on the 16th, resulting in 4 days without power) and my first daffodil didn’t bloom until May. Every year contains a setback, which isn’t really a setback because it’s absolutely normal for things to rollercoaster at this time of year. There’s a reason we don’t plant until Memorial Day!
A few days ago, I heard from a friend in Minnesota. Things are further behind up there, and everywhere north of here. Nothing like perspective to stop one from whining!
Gotta keep in mind that crisp weather is best for doing heavy yard work, or lounging around inside with a book. Perhaps update the list and plans for the garden. After all, the dip is only for two days, this time . . . when it ends, things will start growing so fast that I won’t be able to keep up!
Carolyn Haley
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
Posted by: Opening the heart, gardens, gardening, yard, plants, spring — Carolyn Haley
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Thailand Trip
April 25, 2008 | 1:48 pm
My husband and I just returned from a two-week trip to Thailand. To describe it, I can only use a phrase that I have not used since the late 70s: Mind Blowing!
First, a bit about how we got there, since my husband frequently travels for business, we don’t see each other all that much. However, he does get a massive amount of frequent flyer points and frequent hotel points, so we have many occasions to travel together without spending any significant amount of money. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I actually paid for international airfare.
That said, as far as benefits go, this trip topped them all. Khao Lak was one of the stops on our itinerary. If you recall, this was one of the areas that received the most damage from the tsunami. When we got to our hotel, the agent told my husband that frequent guests of his status are usually upgraded to a suite.
“Unfortunately,” she said, “none are available.” She paused. “But, we have decided to upgrade you to a private villa. This comes with your own private butler, free breakfast and afternoon snacks.”
Needless to say, this is not how I was raised. However, Khao Lak is amazing. It is less popular than Phuket, perhaps because people expect to see too much tsunami damage. This could not be further from the truth. The best way to help revive this area is to visit it.
We did go to Phuket. The highlight of this destination was the pet baby elephant at the hotel, who was trained to give kisses. Bangkok was a whole other ball game. Although I’ve been raised in the cities, after four years of living in the Rocky Mountains, I am no longer accustomed to sweltering heat an high levels of pollution. But don’t miss Bangkok if you go to Thailand. The temples are amazing, and it is probably one of the most unique places in the world.
Finally, this blog post is meaningless without pictures. Fortunately, I was recently hired to write a travel blog for Flyaway Weblog. Be sure to visit and check out the incredible photos. The Thailand posts are interspersed with others, so be sure your scroll through all pages so you can see the baby elephant pictures!
Posted by: Opening the heart — lmercer
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Looking for Mr. (or Ms.) Author
April 23, 2008 | 12:49 pm
Last week I was at a lovely party. The condo was right on Provincetown Harbor, so we watched sunset and moonrise (though actually not in that order) while we ate, drank, and chatted together. The major topic of conversation was, of course, THE WHALES. There’s a pod of them off Herring Cove right now, accompanied by dolphins and gannets, and everyone is spending their time out there with binoculars and cameras.
But as the evening wound down I found myself in conversation with Char Priolo, host of a radio show called Sail Away Ladies, who last November interviewed me about Open Your Heart with Reading. “What I love about your book,” she told me the other night, “is all the authors it introduced me to! I’ve been reading books by people I never would have found on my own, and I’m loving it!”
That conversation made me wonder how it is that we all find new books to read, especially now as browsing in bookshops is regarded by some as an antiquated pastime. How do we move beyond our familiar literary circles and try something new?
(If you’re at a loss for reading material, by the way, do check out Nancy Pearl, a librarian who’s written a series of books that … recommend books! Book Lust is the title I reference most often, but there are others. She might be able to kick-start your reading.)
Most of us listen to recommendations by friends, family, and coworkers (at that same party I got a line on some birdwatching books I’m saving my pennies for now!); often we read reviews of books in the newspaper or online. Sometimes we stumble upon them: I was looking for a book by Ian Rankin when I picked up my first Phil Rickman, and he has since become one of my absolute favorite authors.
I’d be interested in hearing from you. How do you find new titles or authors to read? Have you read something recently that excited you? Tell us all about it!
-Jeannette Cézanne
www.jeannettecezanne.com
Posted by: Opening the heart — jcezanne
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Lasagna — at last!
April 21, 2008 | 9:06 pm
4/22/08
As if to make up for the preceding months, the weather is now bestowing all of its good graces upon us. The corresponding urge to plant, unfortunately, must be suppressed. What’s comfortable and inspiring for humans is not always good for seeds and seedlings. In fact, April is when the subsurface soil is at its coldest temperature of the year.
Nevertheless, peas can be planted “as soon as the soil is workable,” so in they go! I favor snow peas over shell peas, but either type can be the first crop of the season. In this case, they are the groundbreaking crop for my new lasagna garden.
Lasagna gardening is a cultivation method published by Pat Lanza in 1998. It’s basically sheet composting: building soil in layers, reminiscent of preparing lasagna in a baking dish. Instead of layering noodles, tomato sauce, cheese, however, you layer peat moss, lawn clippings, brush, compost, straw — whatever you’ve got lying around. No digging required, you just build your layers on top of the ground, then plant and mulch.
I assembled my first lasagna bed last fall then let it steep over the winter. Here’s how it went together:
*Â I marked out the desired area on the ground (10×4, with actual planting space around 9×3, owing to space taken up by the supports I use, and a border area for companion plants).
* Filled a pail with water and dropped newspapers into it. Laid out the sodden squares atop the soil (in this case, packed sand), several sheets thick. This is to create a smothering barrier beneath the garden, discouraging grass and weeds from poking through.
* Gathered the yard waste I’d compiled around the property over several years. Many wheelbarrow loads.
* Purchased two cubes of peat moss.
* Started layering, using the peat moss as the “noodles” in between layers.
* Topped with leaves raked up from the yard.
* Placed a stake at each corner and ran foot-high chicken wire around the perimeter.
The whole exercise took up a sunny afternoon, at a leisurely pace with many breaks.
Planting peas took about a minute to poke 12 holes into the surface and drop seeds into them. I covered them by scuffing the loose material over the holes, then covered the row with wire mesh to prevent nocturnal feeders from rooting around. Rigged a little trellis for the peas to climb, made from found materials. I will water them lightly once a day until they germinate or the rains return, whichever comes first.
As the spring advances, planting the rest of my vegetables will be just as simple. Judging by other people’s results with this system, I should have a nice crop this year.
We’ll see in a few months!
Carolyin Haley
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
Posted by: Opening the heart, gardens, gardening, yard, plants, cultivation, spring — Carolyn Haley
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A Different View of Spring
April 17, 2008 | 9:50 pm
In my deepest essence, I’m a skier. Skiing is an ethereal passion for me, and it colors every aspect of my life. As a result, I see spring differently than most people. How do you see it?
As spring progresses, I see the snow begin to disappear. First, the rock outcroppings become more stark as the snow pulls away from their jagged faces. You hear water trickling beneath the surface. Sometimes, your skis skim across a small creek that’s beginning to make it’s way to the bottom of the mountain through the departing snow.
Summer is coming.
But, before then, there’s much skiing to be done. Spring skiing is full of magic as the seasons collide on a mountainside. Most casual skiers are thinking of golf or getting their bikes rolling, so the slopes are empty. For the most part, dangers are limited, so options for skiing actually expand. And the snow is miraculous, turning all of us into heroes.
The sun is warm, the sky its deepest blue, the snow its most brilliant white.
So we ski…
Soon, too soon, the snow will retreat to its hiding places in hidden snow fields and glaciers. Some of us will climb for a few turns and the joy of the snow. But summer will be here.
We’ll bike to the upper reaches of our beloved mountains, hike to a new alpine lake, or even discover a new country. It will be a new season.
Soon, though, the nights will turn cooler. There will be a whisper on the wind. The clouds will rest lower on the peaks and the trees will sigh and change…
Winter won’t be far behind…
Let’s go!
Stephen Hultquist
http://stephenhultquist.com/
Posted by: skiing, ski books, Spiritual issues, spring — Stephen Hultquist
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