Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The God of Small Things: Similes



For bookclub we're reading The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

Her writing is peppered with similes, some pleasantly surprising. In the first 50 pages:

....like a high-stepping camel with an appointment to keep

lodged there.... like a mango hair between molars

Rahel's new teeth were waiting inside her gums, like words in a pen.

Futile. Like polishing firewood.

black eyebrows angled like a soaring seagull's wings

....history was like an old house at night. With all the lamps lit. And ancestors whispering inside.


Word to look up:
laterite -
lat·er·ite   [lat-uh-rahyt]
– noun Geology.
1. a reddish ferruginous soil formed in tropical regions by the decomposition of the underlying rocks.
2. a similar soil formed of materials deposited by water.
3. any soil produced by the decomposition of the rocks beneath it.

raised beds & lil' asparagi

asparagi

Last year I bought some asparagus... and now this little lone baby spear popped up. If that's the only one that grows, I can't imagine eating it... there will have to be some sort of sacrificial ceremony involved.

spring sprouts

I like seeing who else is sprouting... or blooming.

daffodil

The big news is:

This weekend I constructed my last two raised garden beds...

raised beds

The wood is cedar. Contents include: soil, lime, peatmoss, "homemade" compost, etc. Still need to prep a little, start seedlings, and then it's on. I'm really hoping I can have some eggplant-related success.

raised beds

I finally found a use for these old sun and moon metal pieces (hose guides on the corners)...

raised beds moon corner

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Look who survived the winter

Who survived the winter
Carrots & potatoes

Who survived the winter

I've come to the understanding that carrots can turn into monsters if left to their own devices.

Who survived the winter

Lettuce

Who survived the winter

Mint

I have some more exciting gardening news to share... but in an attempt to give this blog a spring rebirth, I'll save that for next time. Stay tuned.