My bookshelves are loaded with good intentions.

On one shelf, my gardening collection seems to keep growing, and yet, I still cannot manage to put together a decent crop each year. From Cabbage or Cauliflower to Organic Plant Protection, you'd think somewhere in there I'd be able to find motivation to weed the beds I've spent hours putting in.

Another shelf holds all the information we need to fix our house: the New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual, Practical House Carpentry, Your Energy-Efficient House, Plumbing, and Doormaking. The doormaking book found its way into our home after we thought it would be a good idea to make our own windows. The only problem was that the book store didn't have (and couldn't get) a window making book. So, logic said, "Get the door making book. We want French-style windows, so there can't be too much difference." Uh, yeah, we were wrong.

The two top shelves contain our collection of English geek books. Shakespeare cozies up with the Science Fiction Hall of Fame while Understanding English Grammar hangs out with The Well-Fed Writer. These tomes hold a vast collective of written wisdom, wit and woe. The last time I cracked one open was two years ago.

My bookshelves are also loaded with fond memories.

The "Physical Geography" book reminds me of how AJ and I met one fall day in the basement of the now-gone Bobb Hall. We solidified our friendship over talk of gabbro and schist, gneiss and granite.

I remember when in college how AJ and I would curl up in his bed after a long day of classes and read. We read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (out loud with funny voices) and recited Shakespeare (of course!) and attempted "War and Peace" (several times).

The Border collie book reminds me of our beloved Sonja; a rapscallion of a mutt who dug deep into our hearts with her wily ways. I'll always remember our meandering walks in the woods where she would take off for what seemed like ages and come bounding back just to make sure her people were still following her.

Most of all, my bookshelves are a reflection of my life. My loves, my ideas, my hopes, my dreams; all fill these shelves to bursting.