May 25, 2007

A perfect evening

Last night my friend Megan and I went to see the unutterably charming Barbara Kingsolver talk about her new book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. She spoke eloquently about understanding where your food comes from, the environmental impact of our existing agricultural methods, and the pleasures and perils of feeding yourself and your family locally grown foods.

For the, ahem, climactic finish, she even showed a most edifying video clip about turkey reproduction. Truly, a thing to behold.

I love Kingsolver's work, both fiction and non-fiction, but this book is particularly intriguing, as it details her move from Tucson, Arizona (one of my hometowns) to rural Appalachia (where she grew up and where I have some complicated family history). I can’t wait to read it.

Though organized by an exceptionally good local bookstore, the talk was actually held in the First Parish Church in Cambridge. The pews had informational cards that you could send in to learn more about their programs, social activism, and spiritual groups, including the UU Covenant of Pagans. Also, there was a knitting group, an LBTGA group and a karate group. Gotta love the Unitarians. They mean it when they call themselves “Universalist.”

After the talk, Megan and I met up with The Boyfriend (henceforth to be known as “TB”) to enjoy frosty cocktails and heaping piles of Tex-Mex at the Border Cafe.

After dinner, as if my day hadn’t been good enough already, we saw something wonderful. While I do try to maintain some minimum standards for photographs included in this blog, I didn’t have my camera with me and this was just too exciting not to share. So forgive the crappy cell phone picture…



…and just marvel at how the fine people at American Apparel are embracing the legwarmer. True, it’s the end of May and 90 degrees out, but they are still feeling the legwarmer love.

Perhaps it’s time to revisit that legwarmer project I set aside so many months ago???

For an exciting change, I will not be working this Saturday. Instead, my knitting group ladies and I will be attending Mass. Sheep and Wool.

Given recent yarn purchase, Festivalgoing Rule Number 1 will be NO MORE TWEED. Anyone want to guess how that will turn out?

Hope everyone else's Memorial Day weekend will be equally relaxing and wooly!

3 comments:

Rebecca said...

oh cool! lucky you! i love BK, too. have her new book on my nightstand and hope to start it this weekend. she lives about an hour away from me in appalachia, just across the tn/va border, in va. when i met her a few years ago i had her sign poisonwood bible, which i had not read. and i was coming down with flue so i felt bad and i had nothing original to say to her other than how much i enjoyed her work.

Risa said...

Oh, I hadn't heard about her new book. Exciting!!
It sounds sort of like the Omnivore's Dilemma (which the man has been hoarding since it came out.)
Enjoy your long weekend!

Kristy said...

Have a lot of fun at the festival! Wow, one day to shop, and two days to knit with your new yarn :)

Were they actually selling any legwarmers?