It’s with mixed feelings that I’m starting to ready my gardens to rest for the winter. On one hand, it’s hard to see the bounty of summer come to an end; on the other hand, I’m looking forward to a little more reading time once I get everything done. There’s great comfort in sitting in front of the fire with a new book, a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and one of our cats. Both of our cats seem to regard reading time as extra lap time; often one will be cuddled up with me and the other will be draped over my husband.
We drove out to Brenton Arboretum last Sunday to enjoy the gorgeous day and do some walking while enjoying the fall colors. Scattered throughout the arboretum are comfortable chairs. We both wished we had brought our books to do some reading after our walk – the weather was perfect.
The beautiful trees prompted me to remember the big sugar maple in our next door neighbor’s yard when I was a kid. It was the perfect tree to read in, easy to climb with one particular substantial branch that was nearly horizontal and had adjacent branches in just the right places for back and foot rests. I read dozens and dozens of books, including “Treasure Island”, perched on that branch high in the tree.
Thinking of “Treasure Island”, I just finished “Under the Wide and Starry Sky,” Nancy Horan’s novel about the relationship between Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, and his American wife, Fannie Van de Grift Osbourne. Stevenson penned numerous novels, including “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. This new book follows the couple from the time they meet until Stevenson’s death on the Pacific island of Samoa, where they lived for several years.