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.