Hey friend! Happy Groundhog’s Day (and Candlemas).
February is generally the point of winter where I start to get really antsy for the return of spring. I’m trying to will myself to stay in the present season and not to spend my days pining for something transient, which I suppose is a good mediation for the upcoming season of Lent. But gosh darn, I could really do with some sunshine to dry up our poor yard which has become a giant squelchy mud puddle from all of the snow and rain we saw last month.
(By the way if you’re feeling the same:
and wrote some excellent pieces on winter recently that are worth checking out especially as the magic of the season has worn down).For this month’s edition of Books & Brews, I have a lot of excellent reading recommendations to get you through the remains of winter and TWO Groundhog’s Day themed drink recipes. Curious? Read on!
I’m still working on Part II of my series on the theme of Play; meanwhile you can catch up on the first part here.
In Vol. 1 of Books & Brews quite a few people expressed interest in seeing/reading more about my bookbinding hobby, and I (like any good nerd) am only too happy to talk your ear off about something that excites me. Let me know if you have any specific questions you’d like me to answer in a future post.
Here are some before + after pictures of a new cover I made. My children loved this book to literal pieces and I loved the opportunity to fit it with a beautiful new cover.
I’ve come across many excellent pieces and resources recently that brought me in touch with the True, the Good, and the Beautiful and I just had to share them with you.
I recently signed up for
’s project “A Year Postpartum” and have received the first two zines she’s published. I initially found her writing through Wellspring: A Mother Artist Project and have greatly enjoyed reading her words when they arrive in my inbox; these zines do not disappoint.I read Dante’s Inferno + Purgatorio during my years at school but have been to daunted to read Paradiso without a little help. Someone just told me about 100 Days of Dante from Baylor University which provides so many thoughtful resources to aid in reading the Divine Comedy.
- ’s idea for pursing the intellectual life within motherhood (Mother Academia) has all of my nerd senses tingling. Also, her community has been crazy helpful as I prepare to begin homeschooling our oldest.
My current book club read (my husband’s choice) is Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. It’s not a book I would have ever picked up on my own but I’m really digging it. It’s enthralling and very different from the movie.
I’m also reading T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets with another reading group. Listen, I’ll be honest—I read the first sentence of Burnt Norton four times and my understanding went a bit downhill from there. But then, I found this insightful talk from author Thomas Howard and it was invaluable in my reading experience.
Poem of the Month
This summer, I set out to make memorizing poetry a regular part of my life.
This is the poem I am memorizing right now in case you’d like to join me: “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” by Gerard Manley Hopkins
A few years ago I ran a Groundhog’s Day-themed game for our D&D group; our adventurers had to fight a shadow monster, find Punxsutawney Phil, and save the world (or at least, the tri-state area) from being cast into an eternal winter—it was a good time.
I really wanted to add a more interactive element to our virtual game play so I decided to create two drink specials available in Phunky Phil’s Pub where the adventure would begin (Obviously. Where else could it begin?)
I gave the recipes to my players ahead of time so they could enjoy the beverage of their choice. Ben and I have since made it a tradition to make these drinks of February 2nd.
Be sure to raise your glass to the Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather-Prophet Extraordinary—Phil the Groundhog.
2 ounces (or 4 tbsp) gin
1 ½ ounces POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
½ ounces (1tbsp) lemon juice
¾ ounce (1.5 tbsp) simple syrup
1 ounce soda water
For the garnish: rosemary sprig
6 medium-size strawberries, quartered
4 basil leaves
5 oz gin
2 oz lime juice
1 oz simple syrup to taste
What have you done, read, or listened to recently? What are you drinking? What was the last thing that got you excited? Shout it from the rooftops (or you know, leave it in the comments so we can share in it too).
Woo! Mother Academia! Also, *I* want to hear more about book binding. I have many old books that need some TLC but I'm terrified of messing them up. Any tips would be appreciated!