so-so⭐️⭐️Every year, for the last 4 years, I listen to a presidential biography. They are generally harder works for me to get through, but this one proved almost impossible.
A lot comes down to the audio narrator who honestly sounds like a computer reading the book - so much so that I at first looked it up to make sure it was actually a human. And for THIRTY EIGHT HOURS, that‘s a lot. This book did too much & with a very difficult narrator.
Fairly technical Constitutional law perspective rather than pure history.
pickIf you have a love for history, an affinity for botany and gardening, then you will appreciate how the founding gardeners have been induced to take magnanimous roles for the betterment of our country but have always deigned to journey home to hearth and garden with their books amongst their garden where some trees planted were only second to Methuselah. I also appreciated the account of Bartram‘s garden and his contribution to the Franklinia.
Whilst sitting here reading I just realized today is Missouri‘s 200th birthday. On August 10th, 1821 President James Monroe signed the legislation making Missouri the 24th state. Happy Birthday, MO!
So we‘ve always been a ridiculous sort of folk. 😂🇺🇸
This bit is from the very beginning of chapter 6, which opens discussing the yellow fever outbreak in 1793.
pickThis book was a perfect fit for me, combining history and botany. It amazes me how Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and also Ben Franklin we‘re keenly aware of the importance of plants, and also nascent ecological ideas. Of course, it‘s important to remember that all except Franklin were farmers, and returned to farming after the presidency. A thoughtful, thorough history that I enjoyed and recommend.
A bit of normalcy. For the first time in over a year, hubby and I went out for #coffeeandbooks We‘re sitting outdoors on a breezy day, and it feels wonderful!
“The founding fathers‘ passion for nature and plants can still be seen today for it shaped America in all its contradictions—from the rise of the industrial agriculture in the Midwest to the protected wilderness in the national parks. America‘s most revered patriotic songs revel in images drawn from nature.”
