by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian
Spring is almost here, at least on the calendar. After the extreme cold of this winter, I have
thought that some of our warm days have felt almost like summer! Maybe that’s overstating it, but it is a
relief. It’s enough to make a person
think about warm-weather activities.
Following are some of our newest books to inspire your planning.
Lawn Gone!: Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard by Pam
Penick offers possibilities beyond mowed grass.
From ground covers and gardens to ponds and hardscapes, this book offers
landscaping ideas for getting rid of traditional lawns, as well as information
on figuring out the aspects that may be even trickier: city codes and skeptical
neighbors.
For more on choosing plants for your yard, check out Powerhouse Plants: 510 Top Performers for Multi-Season Beauty by Graham
Rice. This book focuses on plants that
stay beautiful year-round as the seasons change.
Landscaping Ideas That Work by Julie Moir Messervy is a
more comprehensive look at planning your yard.
The description of the book says that the difficulty of putting together
many different landscape elements “creates confusion and inertia for homeowners
who are trying to decide not only what to do, but where to start.” I have to say that sounds like my husband and
me; I think I’m going to have to check out that book.
For the homesteader types out there, there’s The New Horse-Powered Farm: Tools and Systems for the Small-Scale, Sustainable Market Grower by Stephen Leslie. This book
explains how to get started, how to train horses for farming, and how to plow,
seed, cultivate, and harvest. Everything
old is new again.
For those interested in herbal medicine, we’ve gotten
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide. This is an introduction to growing and using
33 herbs, including gardening tips.
A different kind of outdoors inspiration can be found in Out of the Woods: A Memoir of Wayfinding by Lynn Darling. It’s been compared to Wild and Eat, Pray,
Love. Darling was a widow who felt lost
when her only child left for college. She
went to the woods of Vermont and began hiking with a dog and a compass, trying
to develop a literal and metaphorical sense of direction. Maybe you, too, will be inspired to head out
into the woods after you read this book.
Springtime can make us feel like getting out and being
tourists, as well. The gorgeous book Great Houses of Summit Avenue and the Hill District by Karen Melvin may
inspire you to go on a tour. According
to the Explore Minnesota website, Summit Avenue walking tours are offered
year-round on Saturdays and Sundays. To
do something like this with the historic homes in Litchfield, take a look at
the Litchfield Community Guide, in print or at www.litchfieldguide.com.
I am so ready for warm days.
Until then, I’ll start planning what I’ll do with them. Come in to the library to pick up something
to inspire your own spring plans.
