Spring is here!

I'm so glad it's Spring. I can wear bright colors, short skirts, and cute shoes. No longer do I go to work as am amorphous blob of wool, slacks, and boots.

Yesterday I was walking on our local greenway and saw the greatest thing. This woman was walking her dog while reading a book. I don't know if she actually walks and reads simultaneously, but when I came across her, her little dog was sniffing at the edge of the trail and the woman was standing there READING.

I didn't say anything to her beyond hello, but it felt like meeting a secret friend. A friend who doesn't know you exist. That sounds stalkery. But it made me feel slightly less alone in my own tendency to read at stoplights.

So yay for Spring, bringer of cute outfits, pollen, and crazy readers.

Reading as leisure

According to The Age of Comfort by Joan DeJean, reading was not something people did for enjoyment until comfortable furniture was invented. Once there was upholstered furniture large enough for people to stretch out on, they grabbed their books and letters and began to read them for pleasure, not just for the purposes of study or business. This change began in France around 1700 and is one of the many ways furniture affects our life.

If you have any interest in France, the modern home, and the way our surroundings affect us, I recommend The Age of Comfort.