Summer Fever Reading List

The last couple of springs...I've had a serious bout of unrest. I find myself packing my bags without a plane ticket or destination in mind...simply to have them at the ready. My dog is in a constant state of worry, sensing my feelings of unhappiness or pure wanderlust...and concerned that he in all of his fuzzy glory will somehow get left behind. I think that it may simply be because I've lived in Bozeman for almost 11 years now, and perhaps I'm just ready for a change. The budding trees, greening grass, and blue skies are a reminder of what lies on the "other side", an undiscovered utopia that may not be so idyllic once I arrive there. But curious I remain...and who knows...maybe one of these days I'll actually stir the pot enough to leave my cozy little mountain town for the world yet to be experienced.

In the meantime, I ply myself with books of what I dream of doing...in various forms and conditions. Here's a few that always find their way onto my reading list around May 1st every year...and last night I found myself cracking open my favorite book of all time...right on schedule :)

Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck.
-I would quit my life and squeeze myself and my puppy into Rocinante with Charlie and John at the helm, discovering America all over again. After all, people don't take trips, trips take people.

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
-My friend Mike and I always joke about eschewing our careers, significant others, responsibilities, student loan payments, etc. and finding a nice patch of sand for a delapidated double wide and writing the great American novel. I'd be satisfied with an old Airstream and a short story or two :)


Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
-This is a new one to the Edwards Reading Club of One...but it certainly has a place of permanance. I always blamed a certain person for me giving up my opportunity to join the Peace Corps, or some other similar "find my way by giving to others" org. But what I came to realize through the pages of this book...is that true selflessness and kindness are the same whether you're in a TB-ridden shanty town in Haiti, or building houses in suburban Bozeman.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
-Whether I'm curled up in a hammock listening to the river rush by as the pages crackle in the breeze...or sprawled on the floor with Danielle, a box of milk duds, and the DVD version of this classic...I'm still perplexed about why exactly Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth just can't seem to get together! Agh!

Happy Reading :)

Ode to Winter

I love winter. I really do. I get all giddy in November...the ice starts forming, the flakes start falling, I start knitting scarves (the only item I can knit that doesn't result in a third arm hole, top-hat like tooks, and 6-toed socks), and McKinley's nose turns pink...apparently to celebrate Valentine's Day in style. And here in Montana...the last few winters have been lackluster...to say the least. When you only get two powder days all friggin' year...you'd better make damn sure you didn't decide to go to work that day. However this year...the snow gods smiled upon the Big Sky state broadly and dumped heaps and heaps of fluffy stuff all winter long, and all spring long, and now...all summer long?!?!?! I know beggers can't be choosers. I know whitewater enthusiasts are rapidly growing akin to the Joker from Batman with their smug smiles...daydreaming wistfully about pumping rivers and ginormous rapids. I know this is what winter in Montana is SUPPOSED to be like. But, I also know it's May 1 and I'm risking frostbite by insisting on wearing my flip flops. I've been a firm believer...once you go flip flop you don't go back. Grin and bear the freak June snowstorms, blustery May rainshowers, frosty September mornings. However, this year, I've already lost three toenails to recreational pursuits and one ill-situated rocking chair, and I'd rather put off risking frostbite to my already tender toes. So...I'd appreciate it if you all joined me in a little spring haiku, inspired by a certain vagabond friend.

Cold smoke brings care bear puke
skis floating, crashing, grinning, hooting.
F&*#@$^ snow in my sandal.