My friend Tara loaned me this book: Fifty Acres and a Poodle. Jeanne Marie Laskas writes a weekly column for the Washington Post, so I was familiar with her voice before opening the book. Books like this are dangerous for me, because I so desperately want to buy some property on a hillside in Appalachia. Books like this make my yearning stronger.

In the book, Laskas outlines the process of moving from her beloved Pittsburg (yes, some of us really love Pittsburg) to a farm in the rural area south of the city. Pittsburg has yet to sprawl as badly as DC, which makes me jealous enough. Laskas moves with her fellah and they start collecting pets. Can you hear my jealousy growing. And they begin planning for livestock. And gardening. And they have a pond and a great view.

Of course, they also have the financial burden of a farm and the heartaches associated with aging friends and pets and loves. The author experiences some real heartache living in the country, and undergoes some of the difficulties of releasing her urban communities and convenience. Throughout, she remains an honest, interesting person with a charming voice. I burned through the book, and am likely to read her later works on parenting and farming.

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