March is a month for celebration!

Saturday was a beautiful day in downtown Corvallis, and it was great to see so many of our cheerful customers in the store. I can't wait until the Farmer's Market starts up again and downtown becomes a regular parade of people enjoying the nice weather and delicious local produce on Saturdays. In the meantime, I'm just counting through the days looking for little things to celebrate. March, it turns out, is a great month to celebrate.



First of all, we have Women's History Month. This year's theme is "Writing Women Back Into History," and what better way to celebrate than with books? One of my favorite discoveries in creating a display in the store is the book Aurora: An American Experience in Quilt, Community and Craft by Oregon author Jane Kirkpatrick. Crafting and quilting are two art forms historically linked to women, and it's fascinating to see them linked to a unique Oregon community. For more information about Women's History Month, visit the Library of Congress' website: http://womenshistorymonth.gov/




March is also notable as National Craft Month. Yes, I have already outted myself as a knitter in the store, but I also make attempts at sewing and crocheting, and I continue to be tempted by any number of other craft projects I see out in the world. (Glitter anyone?) Martha Stewart covers it all in Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts. While I doubt that Martha completed all of these projects with her very own hands, it is indeed encyclopedic, covering everything from Albums and Scrapbooks to Candlemaking, from Matting and Framing to Wreaths. Glittering even has its own chapter. Just give me another one of these gray, rainy days, and I'll throw a National Craft Month party in my living room with a few bowls of glitter. I'll just make sure to do it when my honey is at work...



While my snacking while reading and crafting does tend to lean to potato chips and popcorn, I will perhaps try to make better choices this month, in order to give National Nutrition Month its due. To me good nutrition is just about getting the things I need, and having some of the things I want. (Like potato chips and popcorn...) Michael Pollan lays out a pretty simple plan in Food Rules: An Eater's Companion. Pollan is a fantastic writer who makes complicated subjects enjoyable to read. If you don't have the time to read his other books, you should definitely check out this one, as it outlines a fairly simple, easy-to-follow, and, let's face it, intuitive plan for eating. It will start you out on the road to better eating.

Books always seem like reason enough to have a party, but a a month to celebrate makes it even more special. If that's not enough for you, honor Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2, or, and this is my special favorite, you can celebrate my birthday on March 6. Now those are some good reasons to have cake.

I'll see you in the bookstore. I'll be the one with birthday cake frosting all over her face...

Pamela.

Blizzard!

So, my sister is stuck, for the second time this year, in New York State because of a blizzard: her flight out of Ithaca is going to be delayed by a couple days. I don't know her feelings about the ordeal, but I envy her: what a great opportunity to get some reading done! If I had to say one thing the Willamette Valley lacked, it would have to be snow, and the all excuses it ends up making for you.

If I were Jessica, I'd take the opportunity and tackle some of the great new books out there:

Maybe a new novel like The Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore...

Maybe some new nonfiction, like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot...


Or maybe a classic, like Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich (which I've started anyway, without snow; it's awesome).

-Ben

Trader Joe's: Friend or Foe?

(Or..."I Must Be Hungry Because This Is All I Can Think About Right Now")

I succumbed to temptation this week: I stopped by Trader Joe's.



Where I grew up in the Midwest, we didn't have Trader Joe's and the fervent passion it seemed to excite in this community was somewhat beyond me. I've stopped at other locations in Oregon and was so overwhelmed by the number of customers that I didn't stay long. (I am a shy and delicate flower...) And the crowds? I definitely wanted to avoid the crowds that the opening of the new store drew.

When I stopped by--Sunday at about 10:15 a.m.--there was a crowd of people, but it wasn't packed. This was doable. I could even see most of the food on the shelves and read the labels. Fresh vegetables and food without a lot of "stuff" in it? Awesome.

In that spirit, it reminded me of the First Alternative Co-op, without the "local" edge. What they both inspired in me today is to find great recipes to make the best use of what they both offer.

Several cookbooks have been published to celebrate Trader Joe's. The I (Heart) Trader Joe's Cookbook by Cherie Mercer Twohy and Cooking With All Things Trader Joe's by Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati both offer tempting photographs, delicious recipes, and totally doable suggestions. They both provide easy ways to impress your significant other using delicious ingredients and creating something special.

A great way to use some of those fresh vegetables, and the delicious locally-grown produce found at First Alternative, is to flip through Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. The book is divided by season, and each season features delicious recipes for every meal from breakfast to dessert, using the produce found locally.




I need to remember to not flip through the cookbooks so close to my lunch; all of the recipes look delicious and I am hungry. If I'm not gone on my lunch break when you read this, I'll see you in the bookstore soon.

Pamela.

April's adventures

Many Grassroots regulars are wondering about April's recent adventures. You can read all about her visit to Taiwan at http://aprilandhoneychild.blogspot.com/

Lucille Clifton, Rest in Peace

The great poet Lucille Clifton has died at age 73. The NYT has an obituary.

Olympic-Sized Inspiration

Friday night I was sitting in front of the TV watching the opening ceremonies with my honey when I was overcome by a slight sensation of panic: I was supposed to be casting on a new knitting project for the Ravelympics! You know you're in a deep state of dork-dom when things like that make you panic. In a flurry I grabbed a pair of size 15 needles and a skein of orange creamsicle-colored yarn. Phew—disaster was averted as I started my much-longed-for "Beaver Believer" scarf.

If it were an occasion where the pressure was less, I would take the time to peruse our own selection of crafting titles at Grass Roots for something a little more creative and challenging. Recently we received a copy of Melanie Falick's Weekend Knitting. It's full of creative ideas for projects to wear, and projects to admire around the home. There are some slippers and some mittens I find particularly intriguing…



For something a little racier, there's The Joy of Sox by Linda Kopp. I'm not much of a sock knitter myself, having completed exactly one wonky sock some time ago, but the pictures in here are so adorable, and the "knitty bits" so intriguing, I may be tempted again.







Finally, to get back to my sewing machine roots, to expand my crochet skills, and to brighten my home with soft-hearted friends, I want to embrace More Softies Only a Mother Could Love by Jess Redman and Meg Leder. Little dolls, little animals, and little unnamable creatures fill this book.

Maybe if I start planning now, I'll be ready for the 2012 Summer Games…

See you in the bookshop!
Pamela.

Meet local author Dave Metz Monday night at Grass Roots

Local author Dave Metz will join us to read from and sign his new adventure biography, Crossing the Gates of Alaska. Monday, February 15th, 7:00pm Grass Roots Books and Music This is the story of Dave Metz's death-defying, breathtaking, and passionate journey through the Arctic outback. Driven by his lifetime reverence for the outdoors, Dave, with the help of his two beloved Airedale terrier dogs, embarks on a three-month epic of survival and astonishing determination that rivals the most daring world-class explorations. Skiing up frozen rivers, enduring bitter nights at twenty below zero, and staggering across vast reaches of barren tundra and scrub woodlands, Metz's unprecedented 600-mile trek took him to the remotest regions of the untamed North. In frightening and stunning detail, he shows us an unwavering spirit and a compelling sense of adventure that can only be satisfied when truly free. Dave Metz has been to Alaska over a dozen times in the last twenty years. He's kayaked across Alaska twice, once with his beloved dog Jonny riding in the bow, and lived there for two years in remote locations. He's also kayaked and trekked in Peru, Brazil, Canada, and Borneo, and has hiked across most of Oregon and Washington. Despite his forays away from home, he managed to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Portland State University, where he also did course work in zoology. He currently works for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as a seasonal fish biologist. In addition to studying mammals and the preservation of indigenous cultures in rain forest regions, he continues zealously to embark on wilderness survival and exploration adventures, cycling, and hiking trips. He lives Philomath, Oregon.

Dante's Inferno: The Game

So, Dante's masterpiece is now a videogame. You may have seen the fiery, action-packed ad for it during the Super Bowl. I wonder what other classics will be mined for videogame inspiration... They've made movies of 'em all, so why not games?

Faulkner's Ghost is Surely Smiling

Because his birthplace, New Albany, Mississippi, has ended its ban on beer after more than 50 years of prohibition. Teetotalers campaigned for the beer to be, at the very least, sold warm, but to no avail.

WS Merwin will be in Eugene tomorrow

For those of you not into the Super Bowl, the great poet WS Merwin will be reading in Eugene tomorrow. The reading is at the Eugene public library at 2:00 and it's free. He's wonderful to hear in person... Highly recommended.

Mutual Appreciation

Patti Smith, on tour for her new memoir Just Kids, likes our bookish NW cities! And we like her book! And the sun is out, and it's Friday. What a nice combo.

Give us a smile, Don Delillo!

Well, I knew he was a serious guy, but-

“I only smile when I’m alone,” he said recently, not smiling.

I can't tell if this is really funny-a little deadpan needling of the interviewer-or just the disheartening truth. Maybe I'll just go with funny: no harm there.

Salinger and roast beef dinners

Apparently, quiet ol' JD wasn't as big a recluse as everyone thought. He just went by Jerry, and the townfolks didn't blow his cover, perhaps because he tipped at the monthly Congregational Church roast beef dinners. Of course, he did have a tunnel to his garage for privacy. But can you really begrudge a man his tunnel?