>I finished reading and browsing Square Foot Gardening, and my review stands. There are good points, and I’ll apply them. I especially like the appendices with planting charts and at-a-glance references.

Next, I’m looking through Edward Smith’s Vegetable Gardener’s Bible. Smith balances his advice better than Bartholomew’s text; he shows how wide rows can work without insisting on a perfectly “authentic” square grid. So far, and I’ve only read a little, the advice is solid and his enthusiasm is contagious. I liked the section , “The Joy of Tools.” I have several trowels, at least two purchased with gift cards from students who recognized my gardening interests.

I’m catching up on several weeks of Time magazine. I’m old-fashioned in this way; I like getting the print version. Sure, I go online for more, but there’s nothing quite like getting the new issue in the mail and browsing the headlines, then reading the details from cover to cover.

I just finished Hope McIntyre’s How to Seduce a Ghost and How to Marry a Ghost. Nothing supernatural here; the “ghost” in question is a ghostwriter. These books were purely pleasure: not professional journals, not garden related (although those are a pleasure, too), not news. I read light chick lit and more intense novels to let me forget the world around me. I read them to relax. Thank goodness for paperbackswap.com and my local bookstore; my busy schedule makes library deadlines difficult to meet sometimes. I like my library better in the summer when I have more time to read.

Awaiting my opinion (for review) is a young readers’ edition of Obama: the Historic Journey published by The New York Times. This looks fascinating already. I know my students will love it – when I’m done, that is!

Another resident of my chairside table is The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. It’s short stories, so I’ll read one or two and then set it aside. It’s fascinating; some humorous, some serious, but all well-written and interesting.

What’s on your To Be Read pile or table? Books, journals, magazines? Make a suggestion: I might pick up the titles and read them in June when I (finally) have more time!

>As kids learn to read the words and understand the content, we help them move beyond the basic levels of comprehension by making connections: Book to self, book to book, and book to world.

Sometimes that spills over into my pleasure reading. I was reading Revolutionary Road and as poor Frank Wheeler faced his desk at work I could envision my own. He had an inbox, an outbox, and a stack of papers he referred to as “…stack of things he couldn’t face.”

Mine are more of a to-do and a ta-dah! basket, with the anything in the ta-dah! basket heading directly to its destination. Sounds efficient, right? Well, maybe. But I still have a “…stack of things I can’t face…” sitting next to the computer. In addition, the actual to-do basket has to wait until the planning and grading are done.

Eventually, it all gets caught up, and I can go home and read again.

If I read enough Harry Potter, maybe I’ll find a wand that will help me vanish the stack of things I can’t face.

>Dr. Seuss’ birthday was March 2nd, and school across the USA choose this day to commemorate his genius and the fun of reading. In honor of the “Doc” and his work, here are my favorite facts about Ted Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss.

1. His first book was rejected by 27 publishers before someone was wise enough to pick it up. Take about patience! The man never gave up.
2. Dr. Suess worked hard. His book ideas that came by accident, such as Horton Lays an Egg, happened while he was at his desk brainstorming.
3. His books were not fluff; he incorporated serious issues into many of his creations.
4. The good Doctor questioned the status quo. When given a list of words he was to use in an Easy Reader, he realized the list was woefully inadequate and moved beyond it, creating the now classic The Cat in the Hat.
5. Above all, Dr. Seuss realized that reading should be fun. His stories inspired children to read and keep reading, to enjoy their books and improve their reading skills at the same time.

To really honor the man’s memory, I need to act on these concepts, not just restate them every year on March 2nd. In keeping with my own personal Action goal and with Read Across America, here goes.

1. It’s time to look at crafting another professional article. My last one was published over a year ago. I have several ideas floating around my head; it’s time to rough draft a few and settle on the best choice to complete and submit. In other news, I set a goal of adding to my poetry blog at least once a week. I’ve posted Haiku Friday most weeks, and occasionally added another. I missed when I was sick; well, there are priorities.
2. Frustration often stops me in my tracks. Frustration with student behavior, lack of resources, budget cuts, and more, all get in the way. I need to get back to good old-fashioned hard work, set aside what I can’t do, and focus on that which I can.
3. Important issues? I spent time and money (mostly time) on supporting candidates that I believed would make a difference. Now that they’re in office (Yes! We can!) I need to keep writing and calling and reminding them of their responsibilities to the constituents, the people who need them.
4. See #3.
5. The best motivator is often enjoyment. In this category, I’ll keep reading. I read for fun, for reviews, for my profession. I keep passing on magazines to my daughter so she can read the most fascinating pieces. Amigo and I will continue to sit out on our swing when the weather gets better, and sit on the couch and read for fun when the weather is cold. Tales of Beedle the Bard is waiting for us.

Happy Anniversary of your birth, Ted. Theodore Seuss Geisel, the man who revolutionized reading. We celebrate in the best way: by reading, reading, and reading more.