Getting ready for Christmas vacation

Small tree decorated with
little bird flower picks.

I made a trip to the library tonight to bring back those items that were due and to pick up the next batch of reading material. The best thing about the trip was knowing that I have Christmas vacation starting a week from tomorrow at 2:39 pm. I can come home and enjoy my family, my home, and some much needed quiet time. Plus all that lovely free time for reading snuggled up by the wood stove with a warm mug of coffee, tea, or cocoa and the glow of the Christmas tree lighting the room. I've chosen a variety of new titles to read: Mitch Albom's - The Time keeper, Peter Mayle's - The Marseilles Caper, and Tony Danza's - I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had.

I've a confession to make as well. I love choosing books to give my mother as gifts because she always lends them to me afterwards. It's embarrassing to admit I pick things I know that she and I will both like.

New favorite quote

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. - Marcus Tullius Cicero

I went to the library today to return some items and to find some new stuff to read. Blogged about Susan Hill last week and as she was a new author to me (introduced by a web search and recommended by my favorite librarian), I figured I would try some of her other titles (see previous post on Howards End is on the Landing). I've brought home The Man in the Picture, a ghost story, and The Various Haunts of Men, a detective story and one of my favorite genres.

The other titles I chose today include: Simonetta Agnello Hornby's The Almond Picker, The Roots of my Obsession: Thirty great gardeners reveal why they garden edited by Thomas C. Cooper, and The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo. Then I get to the circulation desk to check out my choices and the Cicero quote above is on a magnet on the filing cabinet behind the desk. He was so right! Two of the best things in life are having a beautiful garden to work in, or sit in to read; and the other is to have either your own private library or collection of books, or the great blessing of a good public library. What's even better is reading books about gardens, gardeners, or nature. Two pleasures in one!