Let’s create something, together.

Nothing in this section has been approved by a doctor, nutritionist, librarian, or your mother. These are simply books we loved, recipes we ate, and places we may wander into. Proceed with curiosity and reasonable footwear.

Books We’re Reading

  1. Several students have raved about The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans, an epistolary novel about a septuagenarian who uses letters to navigate life, family, and a painful past.

  2. "A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II" by Sonia Purnell is an acclaimed 2019 biography detailing the life of Virginia Hall. Hall was a pioneering American spy who overcame the loss of her leg to run crucial sabotage and intelligence networks in Nazi-occupied France.

  3. "Midnight Champagne" by A. Manette Ansay is a novel set at a Valentine's Day wedding in a Michigan lodge, focusing on the complex, sometimes chaotic,, and often humorous interactions among guests and staff. It is characterized by shifting perspectives, a "slog" of a first chapter, and a focus on themes of love, vulnerability, and desire.

Recipes We’re Cooking

  1. This site has some plant-based high-protein breakfast bars you can make and freeze. I’ve tried several and really enjoy them. https://cookingforpeanuts.com

  2. Here’s a tasty veggie soup recipe I’m trying this rainy week: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/feb/24/roast-carrot-saffron-and-chickpea-stew-with-spinach-recipe-jose-pizarro

Places We’re Gathering

  1. Family Free Day, March 7! Participate in hands-on arts and exploration activities to engage with the works on view at SMA. https://sma.sou.edu/exhibitions/free-family-day-winter-2026/

  2. Asante is holding 13 registration-only community roundtable discussions regarding the Ashland Community Hospital transition, starting Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, through April 6. Registration for the free roundtable discussions can be made online at asante.org/classes-events/event-results/?page=2&sort=2&topicId=321.

  3. If you like trad Irish music, pizza and beer, there’s a fun session at the Copper Plank in Medford every Saturday night, 6 p.m. Sometimes there’s a caller who teaches dances. I go on occasion because my husband is in the band.

  4. Similarly, the Grove hosts monthly dances with a caller. You don’t have to know the contra dances. There’s one on Saturday, Feb. 21. Beginner lesson at 6:30. Dancing is 7:30-10.