The Urban Homestead by Homegrown Evolution

Homegrown Evolution's book The Urban Homestead is out. Visit www.homegrownevolution.com to buy a signed copy. The book offers practical tips on starting your own urban homestead whether you live in an apartment or a house. Learn about planting and preserving vegetables, cleaning your home without toxins and more.

Or visit your local bookstore like Skylight Books on Vermont in Los Angeles. NPR's Marketplace Morning Report recently ran a commentary by owner Kerry Slatterly. In the era of small bookstores closing, like Dutton's in Brentwood, Skylight Books is expanding. Slatterly credits savvy consumers. Hear the story at www.marketplace.org.

The Importance of Reading & Moms & Grandmas

Every Tuesday, my family is fortunate to get a weekly visit from Grams. Out of the bakers dozen of her grandchildren, only my two sons live in California. We are lucky to be close enough to enjoy all that love up close and personal.

We all look forward to Tuesday.

My mother always brings her picks from her local library. The eldest always yells, "Grams!" when he sees her walk up the steps. Invariably, the next thing out of his mouth is, "Did you bring me any books?"

This week, we are enjoying Steve Jenkins' beautifully illustrated and written Living Color. I suspect this book will become part of our own library.



My mother has a gift for bringing books to life. Her talent is one she shares not only with us but with her local elementary school through a program called Rolling Readers. She's been volunteering for the program for about ten years. Interested in learning more or becoming a Rolling Reader? Visit www.rollingreaders.org.

15 Minutes a Day

A large garden can seem overwhelming at times (22,000 square feet). Every where you look a weed needs to be pulled, a faucet fixed, a wall repaired. Focusing on what needs to be done, however, misses the point. Gardener Tony Kienitz author of The Year I Ate My Yard gave the best advice for gardening: spend 15 minutes a day working in your yard. No more, no less.

I can usually find 15 minutes to work while my children play in the yard. And those few minutes yield a familiarity with the events large and small of the garden. Like visitors.


And helpers.


Before and after exploring the yard.

Two books arrived today

The youngest kid (seven months) is talking to his feet. The eldest is playing with a door stop. For the moment all is well. But the feet are starting to cause some trouble. The door stop twang has mysteriously stopped. So, I'll be brief.

Two new books hit the ramshackle porch today: Amanda Blake Soule's The Creative Family and Natalie Chanin's Alabama Stitch Book.

After the feet are tended to, the door stop checked, food on the table, dishes done, I look forward to browsing.