The All-New Bunrab

I suppose that if one is supposed to begin as one means to go on, then the new year got off to a good start: I finished a classic nonfiction book (Steinbeck's Travels With Charley), finished a knitting project (a shawl, for me, in an absurdly simple lace pattern), and made supper at home, using leftovers (leftover turkey frozen from Thanksgiving, turned into turkey-noodle casserole, which is tuna-noodle casserole only with turkey) instead of eating out. And then on the 2nd, I finished another book, albeit not so classic or important (Benjamin Nugent's American Nerd), got a few inches done on another piece of knitting that was already in progress (rather than restlessly starting yet another new project), and made supper at home again, using still more leftovers (leftover mashed potatoes turned into fried potato cakes, to go with crabcakes from Trader Joe's, all topped with low-sodium but zingy Texas Sassy Tequila Ketchup). So I suppose I'm on a roll of good habits.

Not that I'm making any resolutions for 2009. I have a couple of aspirations, but I'm not going to go so far as to call them resolutions. One is to get the garage and storage shed organized enough that we can get everything out of the rented storage unit, and not have to pay rent on that any more. Another is to get rid of some stuff - say, 25 things: books that aren't among the paperbacks I automatically trade in/give to friends/BookCross; skeins of yarn that I will never do anything with; yardages of fabric ditto; stuff like that. I already have in mind a pair of boots I bought years ago, and have only worn a couple of times, which were quite expensive and very nice and made on a last that doesn't match my feet at ALL, so that every time I wore them, I had feet that hurt so badly at night that I had trouble going to sleep. But I have never gotten rid of them, because, well, they are expensive, well-made, nearly-new boots!! Now I am going to get rid of them. (Speak up, flist, if anyone wants a pair of Clarks, black leather, size 8M, side-zip, just-over-the-ankle boots. I'll ship 'em parcel post if you really want 'em; otherwise, they will go to a local charity.)

It was interesting reading Travels With Charley - I don't know why I've never read it before; possibly because it was assigned in school, which of course would have made me avoid it. Anyway, since the book takes place during the 1960 campaign season, leading up to the Kennedy election, it has a rather peculiar resonance right now, especially when Steinbeck goes through the deep South and talks to people about race. And there's a postscript about the Kennedy inauguration that's sort of nice.

More reading recently accomplished, to be posted soonly.