Month: January 2026

ECONOGAL > 2026 > January

Multiplying Seed Catalogs

Posted on by Econogal

January Sprouts Seed Catalogs

Numerous seed catalogs piled on a table.It is January and seed catalogs are multiplying at my house. Online shopping is not a mainstay for me. I prefer supporting the small town businesses. But garden seeds are an exception. Due to the climate, plants need to get started indoors sooner than later.

Since I buy seeds late January to early February, I am now on the list for numerous seed suppliers even if I have never heard of them before. And to a certain extent these companies are reaping a return on their purchase of lists. I always look at the new offerings and sometimes I will try a new company.

Favorite Seed Catalogs

Most of the seed catalogs arriving on my doorstep could qualify as a favorite. Standbys such as Burpee, Gurney’s, Johnny’s and Jung appear multiple times a year. Then there are the specialty types. Rare seeds, heirloom seeds, kitchen seeds all seem to find me. Some are thick and glossy, while others are old-fashioned with diagrams instead of photos. I eagerly await them all.

This year both Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and The Seed Savers Catalog arrived before the new year. Perhaps a belief that the early bird will get the seed buyer. However, like previous years, it is the first really cold snap that has me turning and marking pages in the plethora of seed catalogs.

No Signs of Seed Inflation

While most catalogs are gone from last year, I do have the 2025 Seed Savers Exchange catalog from 2025. I compared like-to-like prices of my favorite seeds. The costs were identical. I do not know if that is true across all the seed catalogs. Or even across everything in this particular catalog. Seed Savers offers hundreds, if not over a thousand products and I did not check out every one.

2026 Garden

I am just in the beginning stages of planning this year’s garden. After three years of no squash in order to persuade the squash bugs to move elsewhere, I will add acorn squash back into the mix.

The peanuts I threw into the garden as a last-ditch attempt for plants did produce some seed. However, the seeds are smaller than average.

Sweet Potato slips will need to be ordered again. No crop last year means no roots saved to produce slips for this year’s garden.

At this time there is only one new baby expected in the family. However, other things will impact the size of the garden. And the time devoted to gardening. All are inputs for determining just how much seed to order. After all the planning and work, everything depends on the timing of mother nature. What are you planting this year?

Innocence Road Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

New to Me Author

Laura Griffin penned Innocence Road. Since she is a new to me author, I do not know if this book will remain among her stand-alone novels or if it will turn into yet another series. It certainly has potential. The protagonist is interesting; with her flaws and the way she pushes others away. Furthermore, rural Texas near the Big Bend area is a rich setting for description and a complex background to develop both storylines and characters.

Protagonist of Innocence Road

Leanne Everhart returned to Madrone, Texas following the death of her father. She now works for the Madrone Police Department just like he did. Following in his shadow is not easy.

Tough and experienced by a stint in the city, Leanne faces a complicated life back in the small town. Her brother is a recovering addict with a secret girlfriend. And then there is her mom. Since her mom remarried just weeks after her father’s death, Leanne holds a bit of a grudge.

Finally, Duncan Harper, a sheriff’s deputy has a soft spot for Leanne. But she is keeping him at arm’s length despite her feelings for him. Why, is a bit of a mystery. So, life is complicated for Leanne even without two major cases popping up to catch her off-guard.

Plot of Innocence Road

Leanne is assigned the case of a brutally murdered young woman. The body was found along a stretch of highway, desolate and isolated. Simultaneously, a murder case her boss and her father had solved is thrown out and the local man convicted of the slaying returns to Madrone.

The two cases overlap and Leanne finds herself butting heads with everyone from her boss to her mother. Is it possible her dad sent an innocent man to prison? Just one of many questions posited.

Recommendation

Laura Griffin is a best-selling author, and it shows. She presents many possible culprits and creates suspense as well as mystery. The unveiling of the villain was a bit of a surprise, yet very plausible. I will continue to look for books from this author. I highly recommend either purchasing Innocence Road from your favorite bookstore or visiting your local library.

The Black Wolf Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Long Awaited Sequel

Louise Penny’s The Black Wolf is a follow up to The Grey Wolf. The book more than satisfied my anticipation for the sequel and the latest in the Armand Gamache series. While The Black Wolf continues the saga, Penny has penned a totally new story. Political intrigue and action blended with climate change awareness and the age-old need for basic survival. And what is more critical for a country than clean water?

Theme of The Black Wolf

Climate change is central to the novel. Specifically, the author writes about wildfire, similar to the huge wildfires North America has experienced over the last few years. She deftly ties the wildfires to water quality. Furthermore, Penny takes this point one step further. “What happens when the water runs out?” Historically, wars are fought over resources and power. Penny stresses this fact throughout The Black Wolf. And as often happens fiction can be a precursor to life. Is it possible that Canada could become the 51st state?

Plethora of Characters

One of the complexities of the Gamache series is the plethora of characters. It is possible for the reader to become confused. Another difficulty relates to Inspector Gamache inability to decide who the mastermind is. And who can be trusted. This is intentional. The twists and turns engage the reader.

The characters are divided into three groups, those always in the books, those appearing from time to time and first-time appearances. New readers will have a hard time keeping everything straight in The Black Wolf. Perhaps even devoted followers.

The Black Wolf and Current Events

One of the zingers in the novel relates to the current political climate. The plot of The Black Wolf hinges on strained relations between Canada and the United States of America. Penny proposes in her fiction that a plot is underfoot to merge the two countries. Both misinformation and disinformation play a part. Power figures include politicians and the mafia as well as various police forces. The current real-life idea of a fifty-first state iterated by President Trump mirrors the fiction. Penny unknowingly foreshadowed this power move. Again, it boils down to “What happens when the water runs out?”

Recommendation

The Black Wolf lives up to expectations. In fact, the novel exceeds. The added climate change theme fits well with current events. This is fiction, but what will happen if the climate scientists are right and the United States runs out of water? Is invasion of Canada a possibility? Inspector Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie think so.

This is a great book to borrow, or buy, and share. Louise Penny has another winner.

The Correspondent Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Sybil Van Antwerp

A recent recommendation was The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I enjoyed this book and finished it in just two days. The greatest challenge comes from the author choosing to write the entire book as a series of letters and emails. Hence the title.

Another quirk is the protagonist is in her 70s. Sybil is blunt, a bit antagonistic at times, and quite possibly lonely. She is also fascinating.

The Final Ten Years

The Correspondent begins in 2012. At first, the letters are spaced close together and the reader discovers Sybil’s background and character in fits and starts. She corresponds mostly by hand-written notes with everyone from family members and favorite authors to children and teenagers. She also fires off missives of anger and contempt to individuals deserving such admonishments.

The book reveals everything through this format. And while it may be difficult to follow at first, Evans does an excellent job engaging the reader. Over the course of the decade, Sybil grows and gains understanding, even as she reaches her eighties.

Key Themes in The Correspondent

Aging is a small piece of the novel. Health issues creep up as the years pass reflecting real life. Sybil is losing her sight, and this threatens her at the core. Writing letters becomes increasingly difficult and as the years go by, and time between missives widens.

The overarching theme is family relationships. The mother-daughter relationship between Sybil and her daughter, Fiona, is a major component of the story. As is the loss of a child. So, it is not surprising that grief, guilt, culpability and blame play important parts in The Correspondent.

Love and Joy

Another significant theme is more upbeat. Sybil is courted by two men as the story progresses. Can she find happiness on her own terms? Do second chances at love happen in the senior years? Again, all of this transpires through letters. Furthermore, the reader becomes more and more intrigued by the characters from their methods of correspondence.

Love and joy also reignite Sybil’s passion for life with the discovery of unknown family members.

Reparations

Finally, the author solidifies Sybil’s morals through forgiveness and reparations towards those few individuals she has wronged. In this manner, Evans shows how individuals never stop evolving in character. Until they are no longer with us.

Recommendation

I enjoyed The Correspondent. It is a great debut novel. The format is quite different in that the entire book is a series of letters. This takes tremendous effort to bring the characters to life and Virginia Evans succeeds. It is easy to see why the novel is a top seller. Visit your library or bookstore and find a copy to read.