In store

Some strange whirlwind put a spell of warmth and sunshine over us for the afternoon, making it fine for walking. A neighbor had her second boy, and is now completely outnumbered by the male gender in their household. She seems to be the sort who will be able to handle it.
Intriguing book by Ursula LeGuin is underway: Always Coming Home. It's set in a far distant future, the blurb says Northern California, but maps she created seem to indicate it's the Bay Area, after all kinds of terrible manmade and seismological disasters have created an inland sea and collapsed the coastline. It takes a while to figure this out, as she develops the lore and stories of the Kesh people slowly. They are winemakers from the Na River - Napa, perhaps? - and there are many folk tales, legends and personal stories woven into the text. Evidently Ms. LeGuin thought back in 1985 that humans would survive and actually be improved some long day ahead. The only factual name she has mentioned thus far is Crater Lake, in the context of it being far away from the Na Valley. The pace might be frustrating for some, but I find myself involved.