reading (Composting)

I finished Liz Ball's "Composting" yesterday morning. It's a small volume cover the different aspects of composting briefly. It touches on then nature of compost, the biological cycle of composting, methods, enclosures, tools, common problems, and uses of compost. The coverage it provides is a working knowledge, not a detailed study. The size and the layout of the book are appropriate for an overview and provide enough information to be useful without being overwhelming to the casual reader.

I learned a fair amount because I was truly clueless about composting before.

44. Liz Ball "Composting"

reading (Stuart Little)

I read "Stuart Little" yesterday. This is one of the books I remember loving as a kid and even remember chunks of from my first reading so many years ago.

The reread provided me with perspective that memory didn't maintain. I was surprised by the audacity with which White throws out the unbelievable with not so much as a "by your leave". The opening lines firmly establish that this is just for pretend so lets get on with it. This contrasts notably with the little detailed devices and tribulations that are part and parcel of Stuart's life.

All my memories of my first reading of this book were from the first half of the book. On rereading, I can understand why. The early chapters are much stronger than the latter ones. The inventiveness and problem solving in the early chapters is exchanged for walkabout philosophy. Characters who support Stuart are exchanged for passing encounters and purely financial transactions, a thoroughly pessimistic representation of the transition from childhood to adult relationships.

45. E. B. White "Stuart Little"

Madras

This has been a cooking weekend. Yesterday I made pappadums, garlic chutney, and jar derived tandoori style chicken. derien didn't like the chicken because it had too much vinegar, so I get to eat all the leftovers.

Today I'm going to try to create a new recipe for Madras style beef. I know, it's not technically Madras anymore, but I will always know that particular hot rich flavor as Madras regardless of what the city in southern India is named. I've never been able to create just the flavor I want from scratch. Maybe it'll turn out right tonight.