Books of natural history make the most cheerful winter reading.
– Henry Thoreau, “Natural History of Massachusetts”
Hello readers and blog friends. Happy first day of spring….a welcome day for all, especially in the colder parts of the world. I took a winter break from blogging to enjoy a cheerful winter of reading “books of natural history” and to give myself a mental and physical respite from the electronic world.
And did I ever read: a book of Thoreau’s collected essays (where I found the above quote); Allan Armitage’s Native Plants for North American Gardens and Donald Leopold’s Native Plants of the Northeast (truly outstanding guides for the native plant lover); and two inspirational books by gardener/writer/ photographer Ken Druse on natural habitat gardening. I even started a project I’ve had in mind for years–to read and view (on video) every single one of Shakespeare’s plays, in chronological order. (I’m on play #2 our of 39.) And currently I’m reading Ralph Tiner’s In Search of Swampland, a field guide to wetland ecology.
All of this time away from blogging–spent in front of a roaring fire, with my nose in a book–has inspired me to write again and given me lots of fodder. I never intended to give up Earth Friendly Gardening permanently but now that I’ve taken a break I’d like to change the format a little.
My interests have developed since I first started this blog in January 2006– while I’m still interested in gardening, I see it as only a part of my larger interest in nature, natural history, and ecology in general. In other words: I’m interested in the natural world, and gardening happens to be the particular contribution that I can make.
I’m not sure how this changes my blog moving forward. The name will stay the same, at least for now, but I hope to write more about nature in general than specifically about gardening. I’m being open-minded to however I and the blog may develop.
See you all around the blogosphere. Hope you enjoy spring.
