Last summer we decided
to move back to Tucson, partly because of the weather here in Nebraska: most
convincing was the Mother’s Day tornado that devastated several towns and rural
homes having missed our house by just a quarter of a mile. Along with the
weather came the realization that our property is just too much for us to
manage anymore. A 5,000 sq. ft. house on 3 acres with lawn to mow and gardens
to maintain is time-consuming hard work reminding us that with abundance comes
responsibility. We both think we can do with much less (yard work, that is); so
"downsizing" has become our new mantra. After 3 huge garage sales last
Fall, we put the house on the market. Now it’s sold and we move in 2 weeks!
Yikes!
Making a household move
is a daunting task, but we've made good progress, so much so that now I feel I
can take a break from packing and update my blog. A few days ago I cleared the
bookshelves in the library. It’s a strange feeling emptying the shelves of
books and then trying to decide the handful I should keep out to get me through
6 months at our rental home in Tucson.
An Everlasting Meal
by Tamar Adler – A meditation on cooking and eating that changed the way I’ll
cook forever.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
by Barbara Kingsolver – About a family that abandoned the industrial-food
pipeline to live and grow their own food in a rural setting… by the famous
Arizona author.
China Moon Cookbook
by Barbara Tropp – Doable Chinese recipes using ingredients I can easily find
in Tucson. Even though my favorite Asian grocery store, 17th St.
Market, is now closed there is a new international market, Lee Lee’s, smack dab
in the middle of the zip code where we want to live! That’s reason enough to
keep this one on the top of the stack.
A Writer’s Book of Days
by Judy Reeves – writing exercises, topics, legends and lore to inspire the
writer within.
The Complete Book of Cacti &
Succulents by Terry Hewitt – great photos of many cacti
varieties, care and feeding of these amazing plants.
Is There a Nutmeg in the House?
By Elizabeth David – British cookbook writer and all round amazing woman wrote
these essays on practical cooking interspersed with stories of a life well
lived.
Cooked by Michael
Pollan – explores the middle link in the food chain: cooking. Learning a few
things I didn’t know… salting meat before cooking, the umami taste, and the
importance of cooking as a protest against specialization.
The Sweet Life in Paris
by David Lebovitz – Amusing observations of an American chef living in Paris
today with recipes that compel the cook to don the apron and get busy. I’ve
still to make his chicken tagine with apricots and almonds, but vow to do so
this week!
Mexican Tiles
by Masako Takahashi – Inspiration for working with Mexican tiles. I designed
this kitchen backsplash in our former Tucson home with tiles I found at a tiny
shop which is probably not there anymore. Somewhere in our new home, similar
tiles will be featured.
Baja Cooking on the Edge
by Deborah Schneider –Baja inspired dishes from acclaimed San Diego chef; I
attended many of her cooking classes when we lived in San Diego so it’s
wonderful to see her success with this book. From one who never met a taco she
didn’t love, this book is a marvel of taste and deliciousness.
A Year in My Kitchen
by Skye Gyngell – Thanking her for introducing me to the principle of
agrodolce… creating the ideal harmonious flavors within one dish using sweet,
salty, sour elements in balance.
And that’s all so far. See!! packing can be fun!
