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Final AVM Note:
Overall, the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver was a very interesting read. I really enjoyed learning about the environment she lived in before she moved. Arizona seems like a very cool place, but I could not see myself living there. It is completely different from Maine and it made me appreciate Maine a lot more than I already do. Growing up in the woods my whole life, I couldn’t imagine living in an area with very little trees, snakes, lizards, and more. I would love to visit a place like that, but if I plan to live off the land, Maine is a better option for me. She explains her environment by saying, “The desert that day looked like a nasty case of prickly heat caught in a long, naked wince.”
Throughout the book, I enjoyed the added stories by Steven Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. I also liked the recipes scattered throughout the book. It gave me good ideas for things I might want to try to cook. Kingsolver’s way of writing keeps reader’s attention and makes you want to read more. I like the way she writes and how she tells her story. One of my favorite lines was, “the corn stretched eagerly toward the sky like a toddler reaching up to put on a shirt.” I liked that line because you can picture in your head the corn stretching up, tall as can be, and you can also picture a toddler reaching for a shirt above them. It paints a cool picture in the reader’s head of what she is trying to explain. She also talks about a healthy way of life and gives us information about healthy eating. Healthy eating is the main topic of this book and Kingsolver provided great insight into a different way of living.


Koviashuvik Field Trip:
When I was first aware we were going on a field trip to a “local living school”, I didn’t know what to expect. After a 20-minute drive out of Farmington and a small hike through snow, mud, and more, we arrived at Koviashuvik. There was a small clearing in the middle of the woods that had piles of wood, gardens, solar powered greenhouses, underground food storage area, and a small home with a swing set attached. Once we met Chris and his family, he began to talk to us about the school they have there and his way of life. I personally found it very interesting and can see myself living quite simply as well. The simpler way of life is not as common today as it used to be. Living in a world where technology is a huge part of people’s everyday lives, people now are very dependent on it to get through the day. Some don’t see it as a bad thing; however, I feel when we are so caught up in work, money, and technology, we become less concerned with things that actually make us happy like family, friends, and such. My favorite part of the trip was when we got to take the parsnips out of the garden, wash them in the pond, cut them up, and then cook them with sunflower oil and corn flour. After it was done, we all got to try some and I found it pretty delicious. It had a very natural and real taste to it. I enjoyed the trip very much.