Imagine the Possibilities

Old notebooks. They line a shelf on my desk holding ideas, thoughts, seeds of a story. They wait patiently for me to open their pages and find a word or phrase that will spark something new. Sometimes there are surprises, like the other day when I was searching for an entry I could use in a demonstration lesson. I opened the notebook that has been a source of inspiration in the past, the one with the blue suede cover, and out fell a newspaper clipping from October of 2002. It was an article from the food section of the Philadelphia Inquirer. I remember being so impressed by the beautiful language of the author that I was compelled to save it. Here are the lines that grabbed me back in 2002 and once again last week:

It is an awkward, conflicted moment – football’s thunder drowning the final gasp of professional baseball – when backyard tomatoes seem to have overstayed their welcome, elbowed by the rush of early pumpkins, and beets, and a new crop of apples.

-Rick Nichols, Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist

It’s a beautiful description of fall and got me thinking of how difficult it is, sometimes, to transition to a new season, especially summer to fall. It’s been unseasonably warm here in PA, but last week the temperatures dropped just enough that I felt compelled to exchange my shorts and tees for warm sweaters and boots. I made soup. I bought a cookbook of pumpkin recipes, because of course everything is pumpkin in the fall. On the trail I began to notice the subtle changes – the yellows of goldenrod taking over the purple forget-me-nots, the glistening spider webs just out of touch, the furry caterpillars making their way across the path.

The weather has been making up its mind. Mornings are edged with chill. Afternoons can be sagging and sticky, then brilliant, crystalline…

 Yesterday was that kind of day – the kind of day that reminds me that change is in the air. Soon the leaves will go from green to gold and red and orange, the chrysanthemums will take over the garden, and it will be fall. And someday, I will reread this entry in an old notebook (or folder on my computer), and it will spark another idea. It’s the cyclical nature of things.

Last night I went through the usual tasks to get dinner ready. I gathered the ingredients I would need to assemble the meatloaf, then went to the garden for the last few tomatoes and a sprig of fresh basil. Back in the kitchen I mixed the meatloaf and set it on the counter while the oven finished warming. Then I prepared the fresh tomato and onion salad, set the table and the timer, and busied myself with other things. After about a half hour or so (yes, it took that long!), I started to wonder why delicious smells weren’t tantalizing my taste buds. I soon discovered that…I forgot to put the meat in the oven!

Why Dinner Will Be Late

I remembered to…

chop the vegetables,

mince the garlic,

heat the olive oil.

I remembered to…

mix in the bread crumbs,

separate the egg white,

add a touch of Dijon.

I remembered to…

gather the tomatoes,

break off the basil,

blend the oil and vinegar.

Why weren’t delicious smells…

tantalizing my taste buds,

waking my salivary glands,

building my anticipation?

I forgot to…

put the meat in the oven!!!

Honey…

open the wine,

grab some appetizers,

dinner will be late tonight!

Last week I was sitting in the waiting area at my hair salon with a young girl and her mother. The girl had a book with her and I was straining to see the title. Before I could invade their space completely, a conversation started.

Me:                  Sorry, but I’m interested in knowing what you are reading.

Girl:                 Walk Two Moons.

Me:                  Oh, Sharon Creech! I love her work.

Mother:           I’m reading it, too, so we can discuss it before she goes back to school.

What are you reading?

Me:                  Maxi’s Secrets by Lynn Plourde.

I could tell by their expressions that they were surprised I was reading a middle grade novel when I probably didn’t have to unless I was a teacher or the mother of a middle grader (that was a long time ago!). But the truth is, that while I do read lots of middle grade and YA titles to review, I really enjoy them! There is so much good writing going on in books for kids and tweens and teens that I don’t want to miss any of it. You can see that by the picture of my TBR pile.

I actually just finished Barbara O’Connor’s Wish (wonderful characters and a great mentor text for craft) and last night I sunk my teeth into Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee. During the summer I got to know Charlie from Kate Messner’s The Seventh Wish and Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale (sigh!) among others – characters that will stay with me for some time.

A few years ago I wrote about the variety in how I read, switching off between print and electronic and audio. Thinking about what I read is just as varied. I read fiction and nonfiction picture books, middle grade novels, YA, realistic adult novels (sweeping family sagas always pull me in), some adult nonfiction, mysteries, fantasy, professional books… I guess it’s safe to say that I love books!

What are you reading?