Some initial thoughts...

OK. Aside from the challenge that I did not declare but am accepting and furthering, I had a small amount of time today, squashed between making truffles (yes, chocolate! I certainly hope chocolate is never villified...) with three of the kids and hearing screaming lyrics from "Jesus Christ, Superstar" (C's new music obsession) in which I had the opportunity to read a few pages.

I have noticed similarities between myself and Barbara:

• I tend to think globally. I see Las Vegas and I can't help but think what a waste in the extravagance. She drinks water and can't help but think she has no birthright to be further robbing the land of its water with her transplanted family. I like that.
• I like the idea of living simply, rurally - I have often dreamed of living at our cottage for the summer, washing clothes in a tub (the kids wear bathing suits the whole time anyway)...
• I want to grow vegetables -- remember I asked for the garden for mother's day, envisioning tomatoes, cucumbers, onions... (apparently, had it come to fruition, I would have had a plethora of salsa)

Key differences:

• I NEVER HAVE. Every year since the beginning of her marriage she returned to the Appalacian property (granted, more as a compromise for her husband). She somehow managed to truncate her daughters' lives so that they had no activities that spilled over into the summer. Is that easier with girls? My boys have baseball through July then football starts first week of August. How to avoid that? Not have them do it, I suppose. Hmmm. Don't think they or their father would go along with that.
• Which leads to the second key difference: BOTH partners, wife and husband, seem in each's own way dedicated to an organic way of living individually, so working out the details together does not seem so mind-blowing. Although picking up and moving permanently across the country is always big. I am not underestimating that. But it seems the last step in a series of joint realizations for which they were searching together. I would not say Don and I are dedicated to organic living, although I would like to think that we are environmentally responsible.
• I am sensing that we may vote differently. Enough said. (But I do not hold it against her).

I did really like the husband's note -- just one dinner a week could drastically change the petroleum cost of food. One dinner a week, by local (organic?) producers. That goes along with my goal of $30 /week Michigan products (although I have a sense that my "Michigan products" is slightly more generous than local organic food. Same general principle, though.

There you go -- I will hopefully read and write more tomorrow. Talk to you then :)