AUGUST ROOT - Progress Thread

As summer in Northern Hemisphere is in full blast, the gardens that are receiving a lot of attention are VEGETABLE GARDENS. They can be grown to feed your family, as a decoration as well as a supplemental food force, for educating your children, or just for fun.













Do you have or ever had a vegetable garden? If so, what are you growing? Or what have you grown in the past?

Here are the members and their goals so far.
Remember if your name doesn't appear, check to make sure you are a member.
Those members whose tickers are not working are marked BLANK. Please repair your tickers. 28% OF THE TICKERS AREN'T WORKING! If you need help, just ask.

THE TICKER PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE. PLEASE, PLEASE CHECK YOUR TICKER IN THE TICKER THREAD AND MAKE SURE THAT IT IS WORKING! More than 1/4 of the tickers are not functioning! If the tickers continue to malfunction I will not be able to give accurate numbers as to our position at reaching our goal.

Ameise1 6 / 10 ★ 60.0%
Ann_R 6 / 25 24.0%
atozgrl 16 / 25 ★ 64.0%
awwarma 4 / 10 40.0%
benitastarnd 66 / 72 ★★★★ 91.7%
Bookbrained 36 / 70 51.4%
brakketh 14 / 34 41.2%
bumblesby 10 / 20 50.0%
ca_dmv 6 / 12 50.0%
Caramellunacy 17 / 24 ★★ 70.8%
Cecilturtle 38 / 50 ★★★ 76.0%
clue 29 / 40 ★★ 72.5%
Coach_of_Alva 25 / 50 50.0%
connie53 29 / 36 ★★★ 80.6%
crazy4reading BLANK / 30
curioussquared 67 / 65 103.1%
CurrerBell 27 / 50 54.0%
cyderry 58 / 72 ★★★ 80.6%
deep220 14 / 50 28.0%
detailmuse 37 / 40 ★★★★ 92.5%
DisassemblyOfReason 20 / 100 20.0%
EGBERTINA 506 / 25 2024.0%
ell-in-or BLANK / 10 #VALUE!
emmanuelfakunle BLANK / 7
enemyanniemae 23 / 50 46.0%
Familyhistorian 27 / 65 41.5%
floremolla BLANK / 40
formativeage 0 / 10 0.0%
fuzziBLANK / 50
handshakes 10 / 32 31.3%
HelenBaker 23 / 48 47.9%
Henrik_Madsen 11 / 50 22.0%
highlandcow BLANK / 40
humouress 11 / 25 44.0%
Jackie_K 33 / 40 ★★★ 82.5%
JaxlynLeigh BLANK / 25
jhbaker BLANK / 12
kac522 44 / 75 ★ 58.7%
karenmarie BLANK / 10
karns5306 BLANK / 75
kayla.whitaker BLANK / 40
KWharton BLANK / 12
Kyler_Marie 27 / 60 45.0%
LadyBookworth 10 / 30 33.3%
lindapanzo 68 / 84 ★★★ 81.0%
LisaMorr 20 / 40 50.0%
madhatter22 15 / 50 30.0%
majkia 69 / 65 106.2%
martencat 8 / 18 44.4%
MissSos 6 / 25 24.0%
MissWatson 77 / 75 102.7%
murphyse BLANK / 10
nebula21 3 / 12 25.0%
nenasfilla BLANK/ 64
postsbygina 24 / 55 43.6%
QuestingA 29 / 50 58.0%
rabbitprincess 55 / 40 137.5%
readingtangent 19 / 55 34.5%
Rebeki 20 / 30 ★★ 66.7%
ritacate BLANK/ 24
Robertgreaves 50 / 72 ★★ 69.4%
rocketjk 10 / 30 33.3%
rosalita memorial 0 / 50 0.0%
sallylou61 15 / 24 ★ 62.5%
smc1sara 3 / 20 15.0%
si 20 / 25 ★★★ 80.0%
starkittyn BLANK / 25
torontoc 11 / 30 36.7%
twogreys 11 / 24 45.8%
VioletCrown 31 / 52 ★ 59.6%
wandaly 16 / 24 ★★ 66.7%
wood0360 BLANK / 25
zombiecat BLANK / 10




We actually have members - fuzzi, rabittprincess, MissWatson, majkia, curioussquared and EGBERTINA - who have reached their goals!
Those leading the pack toward their goals are:

detailmuse 92.5%
benitastarnd 91.7%
Jackie_K 82.5%
lindapanzo 81.0%
connie53 80.6%
cyderry 80.6%
si 80.0%

The goal for month is 1,883, we either need more numbers from the missing tickers, or we need to get reading!

Thanks for crunching the numbers, Cheli!

I love a good vegetable garden. We had an allotment 10-11 years ago, but had to give it up as we just couldn't keep up with it (most of the other allotment holders were retired and down there every day for hours, but we could only go once a week, so it was really difficult to stay on top of it). We did grow all sorts of things though - courgettes, spinach beet, brussels sprouts, blackcurrants, potatoes, garlic, onions, shallots, various salad leaves, beetroot, and most bizarrely (and impressively for Scotland!), quinoa.

A long time ago we used to grow peppers and lettuce on our apartment balcony, but we stopped doing that. Now that we have a house, we may consider building a raised bed to grow veggies. At the moment all we're growing is clover for the rabbits to eat :)

I find I have to try different browsers (usually Firefox, Chrome, and MS Edge) in general or private mode each month till I find one that works with the tracker site. Unfortunately a different one works each month, so I have to be persistent.

For many years, I was growing vegetables and some herbs. Mostly I grew tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash. I found that I had better luck growing in pots and grow bags, so I have pretty much given up planting in the ground. In recent years I haven't planted much, and didn't have any luck with the tomato I tried last year. This year, unfortunately, I didn't get anything except basil planted. My husband had a knee replacement at the beginning of March, so I spent that month taking care of him and also doing the household chores without his help. I had hoped to get a vegetable garden started again this year, but just didn't have time during the month that I needed to get it going. I am hoping I can finally get back to it next spring.

Nice to see healthy veggie gardens, Cheli! You beat me to the punch for July. I just updated my ticker now with the 9 books I read for the month. I now sit at 36 out of 65.

I've added a last minute ROOT for July to take me to 12 for the year so far.

Delicious-looking gardens! I'm going to nab that raised bed idea for my mum (though more likely for flowers).

Can I make a suggestion; to use the green LT stars rather than the black stars for those who have reached their goal? I admit I get confused as to why they only have one star until I look at the list more closely and realise that the star is in a different position.

The code is <img src="http://static.librarything.com/pics/ss2.gif"> for one green star
and <img src="http://static.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> for two green stars

That's a lovely theme! I've always lived in an apartment, so never had a garden, but I do try to grow some herbs on my balcony. Usually they die on me when I go on vacation. But I have a wonderful farmers market right on my doorstep twice a week, where I can buy anything I need. And more!

I have finished my first ROOT in August, will do my best to work towards our goal before I leave for a vacation.

Beautiful photos, Chèli!

My parents would have a small patch of vegetables, and I had the ambition to grow one - but I'm just more dedicated to my books :) I love having a box of fresh herbs, and my ex-husband had created a beautiful suspended garden with tomatoes and green beans on our balcony. There is definitely something rewarding about picking your own little harvest.
I also do love supporting my local farmers' market or going to the fields for pumpkin or apple picking!

Finishing off a couple of ROOTs so I'll keep contributing to our common goal!

I wish these gardens were all mine! I started working in a garden when I was a child. My dad grew up on a large farm and although we lived in town, he had a huge garden every year and always grew some sunflowers for me. I have grown tomatoes, watermelons, and grapes until 2 years ago when I began taking care of my sister who has dementia. A couple of years I tried the "new thing" of that time and grew the tomatoes in bales of hay with mixed results.

I don't have a garden where I grow food. I always said that I grow food for the soul. Plants and flowers in pots. I did that even when I had lots of ground to cover. I grew gladiolas, roses, and iris. I do grow vegetables in pots. They can make some interesting pot gardens. I grow squash of different kinds and generally use them to create green screens between my apartment and the next. They are very effective for that purpose because they grow fast and have large leaves. The bonus is that I get just enough produce off of them to keep me happy in the summer.

>8 humouress: Using the green stars would be a bit more coding than what I can handle. The black stars are just a copy and paste.

Hi cyderry, no new books added.

I'm still at 10 books.

But I did make a "new ticker". :+}

What lovely vegetable gardens.

Happy reading all!

>13 cyderry: Do the first one and then just copy and paste? 🤗

>14 LadyBookworth: Thank you.

>15 humouress: Each star would have to be coded which mean each person's line would be much more cluttered and also harder to audit so I think I'm going to stick with the black stars.

>16 cyderry: Oh, I didn't mean all the stars, just the people who've done more than 100%.

My parents have a garden! They grow a variety, but a huge chunk of the plants are different types of hot peppers such as; scotch bonnets, Carolina reapers, chili peppers, jalapenos, and hot cherry peppers. Also a TON of raspberry bushes (at peak season, we probably get around 5 pounds a day). The economy may have forced me to move back in, but at least I get to have fresh raspberries every morning!

>17 humouress: made the change will try to remember to redo each month.

>19 cyderry: Thanks, it looks good. I didn't mean for it to be a hassle.

>18 formativeage: I wouldn't mind fresh raspberries every morning. Hot peppers, not so much ;0)

ROOT#12 for the year and the first book for August. My review is on my thread and no tickers updated.

I've just added my first ROOT for August (#34 for the year) to my own ticker only.

I just added my first ROOT – in fact, my first of any book completed in the past three weeks – and my recent ROOTing hasn't been that good. Reason? The ROOT that I just added is Les Misérables in the unabridged Modern Library edition (trans Julie Rose), and at something like 1376pp it very definitely qualified for the Big Fat Book challenge! I found it more challenging, in fact, than the Pevear-Volokhonsky translation of War and Peace.

>23 CurrerBell: Congrats! It's a feat I have not yet mastered!

Reporting ROOT # 30 for the year, # 1 for August

Kwaad bloed - Robert Galbraith

Own tickers updated.

I have managed 2 roots so far this month, Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally and Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshanathan. I am being a bit distracted by library reads this month. I will try to read them quickly and return to my Booker challenge but they are tomes.

Reporting my first ROOT for August and 13th for the year. No tickers updated (yet).

I read Girl Meets Horse: An Easy Introduction to Horse Care and Riding for Kids and Tweens which was an LT Early Reviewer book by Marty Kay Jones.

I finished my first ROOT for August. It was Buzz Sting Bite: Why We Need Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson. This was an enjoyable quick look at the wide world of insects with the last section dealing with pollution, habitat loss, and chemical spraying that is now decimating the insect world and therefore contributing to the huge species loss the planet is experiencing. I will certainly read more of the books about insects written by this Norwegian author.

My first ROOT for the month was Mrs. Porter Calling by A.J. Pearce, the third book in theDear Mrs. Bird series. The second ROOT is Stuart Little a children's book by E.B. White.

2nd ROOT for August and #13 for the year.No tickers were updated and the review is on my thread.

Reporting ROOT # 31 for the year, # 2 for August

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg

Own tickers updated.

I have pulled up 10 ROOTs this month, that's 87/75. My own ticker is updated. I hope to add one or two more before I leave on a vacation.

Reporting ROOT # 32 for the year, # 3 for August

The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg

Own tickers updated.

>32 MissWatson: Final report for August: 13 ROOTs, my ticker now stand at 90/75. Happy ROOTing!

I finished my second ROOT for August. This one was Out of Egypt: A Memoir by Andre Aciman. I read this one for the Nonfiction Challenge. The August topic was "Being Jewish" and this memoir fit the bill. It is a memoir of Aciman's early years and covers the years 1945 to 1965. Aciman's family of Sephardic Jews was forced to immigrate from Constantinople after WWI and they chose to move to Alexandria, Egypt because of the British presence there and because his family was friends with the royal family of Egypt. This memoir takes the family from the years just prior to Aciman's birth through 1965 when they were forced to immigrate once again. This time to France, where they stayed. This is a wonderful tribute to the city of Alexandria and a close multigenerational family. It is very well written and flows like water in a gentle fountain. I highly recommend this memoir for readers who like memoirs.

No tickers updated.

Reporting ROOT # 33 for the year, # 4 for August

If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St. Jude

Own tickers updated.

I've read my 14th ROOT for the year, which is my second for August. I read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry for Anita's memorial read; challenge 8 in the TIOLI challenges for August.

No tickers updated (for this month).

Finally another root from my shelves, but it sure slowed me down and I almost gave up on it, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie, 26/48. I have alot of catching up to do.

>39 HelenBaker:
I had that same problem with Midnight's Children and I did give up on it.

I have been doing lots of traveling this month so I finished listening to a ROOT. This one was the behemoth historical fiction novel Column of Fire by Ken Follett, the third novel in the Kingsbridge series. This one was worth the time it took to listen to it because Follett can sure tell a story. I traveled lots of miles and had a long epic to listen to while I drove.

I also finished reading Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason. This one was emotionally taxing to read but it was excellently written. I have no problem recommending it, but I will warn people due to its content. Mason is a wonderful author and this novel was set on the Eastern Front in WWI. This is a part of the Great War that is not well known in the US and the casualty numbers were staggering. There was lots of food for thought in this novel. I read it for a group read over on Mark's thread in the 75'ers Group and there was great discussions about it on his thread. If you like novels about war, read this book.

>42 benitastrnad: I read this in 2019 and gave it 4.5 stars, I don't read much I rate that high. I haven't gotten to North Woods yet but plan to soon.

I have completed Finding the Lost Dalton by Harold Trisler. This is his account of researching and finding the location where Frank Dalton, a U.S. Deputy Marshal, was killed in the line of duty in 1892 and who likely killed him.

I'm not likely to finish any ROOTs before the end of the month, but reporting 6 in August which is honorable. I'm only 6 away from my goal of 50!

I listened to the behemoth historical fiction novel Column of Fire by Ken Follett. It is the third book in the Kingsbridge series by this author. As always Follett proved himself to be a great storyteller. I listened to it while driving back from Montana to Alabama. It was the perfect companion for a 2400 miles trip.

I have finished 3 ROOTs this month, for a total of 19 for the year. I read
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Caste: the Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Band of brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose

I don't think I'll have any more before the end of the month. Only my personal ticker is updated.

>38 humouress: I have now updated my own ticker so it shows my 14 ROOTs for the year.

ETA: oops, missed one. Reporting a 15th ROOT; Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. I haven't added this to any ticker yet.

ROOT #14 for the year and the third one for August- no tickers updated and the review is on my thread

I've finished my 4th and last book for the month, one that's been on the shelf several years...A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy. Next up is a library book so I won't be posting any more for August. I've read 32 ROOTS against a goal of 40.

Reporting ROOT # 34 for the year, # 5 for August
In steen gebrand by Rebecca Yarros

Own tickers updated.

I finished a short book last night. Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard. This essay/lecture made a big splash when it was published in 2017. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it to all those who are interested in women's history and the freedom of choice. I am thinking about purchasing old copies of this for Christmas gifts for some of my friends.

I've added ROOTs #2 and #3 for August (#35 and #36 for the year) to my own ticker only.

I am not going to get any more books finished today so here is my ROOT report for August. I ROOT'ed 10 books from my TBR list this month. No tickers updated.

Fiction:
Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason

Nonfiction:
Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
Out of Egypt: A Memoir by Andre Aciman
Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard
For the Good of All, Do Not Destroy the Birds by Jennifer Moxley
Wandering Through Life: A Memoir by Donna Leon

Recorded Books:
Column of Fire by Ken Follett
Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
Record of a Space Born Few by Becky Chambers
The Measure by Nikki Erlick

It looks like lots of books but many of them were short or recorded books that I listened to while driving some long distances this last month.

Reporting ROOT # 35 for the year, # 6 for August

Een ijzeren vlam by Rebecca Yarros

Own tickers updated.

Here is my report for August 2024:

UpROOTED books: 10
ROOTless books: 7
Added to the treebook TBR shelves: 1

The ROOTs were:
Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain by Amy Jeffs
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
Ten For Dying by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer
Dog's Honest Truth by Neil Plakcy
All Dog's Children by Neil Plakcy
World Music: A Very Short Introduction by Philip V. Bohlman (DNF)
A is for Bee by Ellen Heck
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore
What Belongs To You by Garth Greenwell

ROOTs in YTD: 60

(Only my ticker updated)

September thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/363073