I have created life

OK, calm down. I'm related to that side of the family, but I don't share their need to have enough babies to warrant having them in a box under the stairs rather than in a hospital.

And, for once, I'm not talking about my cichlids either. (Insert to add that the offer still stands..... free juvenile fish to a good home)

No, the life I have created is in the handy dandy urban vegetable garden (read: a container garden) on my back porch. I am currently the proud creator of cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers. The jury is still out on the peas, but things are looking good.

For many, the thought of growing vegetables is no big deal. For others, the thought of growing vegetables holds little appeal. I've been in both categories during my life. I never got excited over Dad's harvests, and I certainly never thought to have my own until this year (see earlier posts on Barbara Kingsolver) Still, seeing those little beginnings (like puppies and kittens, baby vegetables actually ARE cuter than the adult versions) that used to be seeds in a pouch and a bag of dirt thrills me beyond measure.

The Crimefighter is out of town today, so he didn't get to witness the joy. Since a day on my own means I don't feel the need to look busy because the Crimefighter is working, I was able to spend countless hours celebrating my success. Now, night has fallen, and I finally remembered some of my friends might require photographic proof. So witness the pepper:

Shout out to the tomato:

And behold the mighty cucumber:

I'll also update an earlier post since I have my camera out and all. I posted pictures on facebook of tiny Danny, the frye my nephew discovered and then promptly named after himself. I had reservations about this because cichlids battle to the death over the safety of their eggs (or any eggs for that matter), and the moment the babies hatch, they forget they have them and, usually, allow all their young to be eaten. I love my fish, but I find this practice very..... Republican of them. This is why I wanted the frye to be called George. That way, when he became a midnight snack, I would get a good story out of it. Then again, sometimes even Republicans surprise you. Here's "little Danny Frye" today (big white one on the top in the middle. He used to be the size of the new frye in white down on the bottom):

• Because all these new wonderful things are coming into my house, I thought it only fair to keep (at least in spirit) the promise I made to my partner in Crime concerning the stack of books. The read ones are stacked on the floor and now reach the top of the desk so here is a list, if anyone wants one. Remember: free shipping, just buy me a beer the next time I'm in town. Or send me one of your old good ones back. That works too.
  
  Yours to Have, if you Want them:
  
• Briggs, Patricia. dRaGoN bLoOd -- I like Patricia Briggs. I keep her Mercy Thompson books myself. This is an earlier series. I probably have dRaGoN bOnEs (that first one) somewhere.
  
• Brown, Sandra. The Devil's Own. Dear God, take it. This book sucked. I'm not a fan of Sandra's early work. My sister tells me she got better, but this one was clearly low-budget, rent-is-due time for her.
  
• Coyle, Cleo. On What Grounds and Through the Grinder. These are the first two in the coffeehouse mystery series. I liked them, but I found these at a yard sale, and I'll look there for the others. I will give her this -- this is less formulaic than most mysteries. Just because someone was a big thing in one book does NOT mean they won't take two between the eyes later.
  
• George, Jean Craighead. My Side of the Mountain. A children's classic. I loved it, even though I never read it as a kid. Good for middle schoolers.
  
• Knight, E. E. Way of the Wolf. First in the Vampire Earth series. I'll probably read the rest, but I'm in no rush. Nice rethinking of Vampire mythology. Do not read at bedtime if you are prone to bad dreams where things swoop down on you.
  
• Lavender, Will. Obedience. It's OK -- If I ever taught a fiction writing class, I would assign all but the last chapter and make my students write an ending. Big overture, sucky show.
  
• Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. I hear the Andrew Lloyd Webber thing is done terribly well. This book, not so much. I get what Leroux is trying to do, and he does it well. It's just that... well..... I don't like authors who write like that.
  
• Moore, Perry. Hero: A novel. I thought it was really good. The superhero in question IS super, but he's also the gay son of a disgraced superhero and a mom who disappeared, which can mean a lot of different things if you are a superhero.
  
• Nevins, Thomas. The Age of Conglomerates. Dystopian life is so.... fun! I liked it.
  
• Nimmo, Jenny. Midnight for Charlie Bone. Harry Potter rip off. Then again, if you have kids who like Harry Potter..... maybe. I also have the second one in the series somewhere.
  
• Picoult, Jodi. Keeping Faith. I loved it. Not as much as Plain Truth, but it's interesting, specially if you like Jodi.
  
• Pierce, Tamora. Alanna: The First Adventure. I loved it and got the rest of the quartet from the library. AWESOME writer for younger girl readers. This is Song of the Lioness, Book One.
  
• Roberts, Nora. Daring to Dream, Holding the Dream, and Finding the Dream. I have the whole trio. They're typical, and I liked them. Early Nora stuff.
  
• Robillard, G. Xavier. Captain Freedom: A Superhero's quest for Truth, Justice, and the Celebrity he so Richly Deserves. Freaking hilarious, to a dork like me.
  
• Tropper, Jonathan. The Book of Joe. October Road the book. It's OK.
  
• Young, Wm. Paul. The Shack. Someone recommended it to me. Um.... it's sort of The Gnostic Gospels, as your preacher interprets them. If you like Joel Osteen, you'll eat this up.

Books you can Borrow. but I want them back:

• Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. If you haven't read it, you should.
  
• Moore, Christopher. Fool. Not his best; still better than most you'll read. Moore's take on Lear. Because "there's always a bloody raven" and "there's always a bloody ghost."
  
• Jones, Abigail and Miley, Marissa. Restless Virgins: Love, Sex, and Survival at a New England Prep School. Sad statement about what the disembowelment of the women's movement at the hands of Conservatives have done to decimate out girls. Oh, and methinks the kids of Milton Prep overestimate their worth on the larger college market. Just saying...... it isn't like it's Exeter.
  
• Roose, Kevin. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner at America's Holiest University. A freshman at Brown does his "semester abroad" at Liberty University (the "school" that Falwell built) and it is one of the most surprising and uplifting books I've read in a while. Not a hatchet job but a serious look at Fundamentalism pre and post Falwell. Would be my recommended read of the summer.
  

As and they shall be yours.