(barn)hearting this book

"Gary Snyder, one of my heroes, famously said, 'Find your place in the world and dig in.' I thought, 'I'm ready, Gary. Just hand me a friggin' shovel.' " --Jenna Woginrich, Barnheart

After reading Jenna Woginrich's, Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life, last year I began to follow her blog: Cold Antler Farm, and I realized that Jenna is the kind of person I envy: a dreamer and a farmer...with a "day job" to boot! So, as you can imagine I was pleased as punch when Jenna's newest book: Barnheart: the Incurable Longing for a Farm of One's Own, a Memoir arrived.

The book--named for a disease with symptoms that vary from: "calling in 'sick' to work in the garden," to "sitting in your office, classroom, or cafe and your mind wanders to dreams of the farming life," to being someone who'd, "rather be stretched out in the bed of a pickup truck, drinking in the stars on a crisp fall night."--is about Jenna's struggles and triumphs on the trail toward getting a Farm of her own. I loved Jenna's voice, her humor and insight, her honesty. I just loved it!  And now I want to find a farm and settle somewhere back in New England...*sigh*

Would I recommend it? Yep. And you definitely don't have to be an aspiring farmer to read it.  :)

Another review here at Farmbrarian.

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