Did you read the title of this post carefully? Because it has been a challenging past few days. The heat has soared here in the east, and with our construction season at home in full swing, the air-conditioned luxury so enjoyed by the masses is elusive to us. Oh how I wish for a rusty old water pump outside to stick my head under for a quick cool off!
Last night, after working in the inferno known as our kitchen, I finished the book I had been reading (The Long Road Home by Pablo Yoder- engrossing, but too gritty for my taste) and fell into a deep sleep. Then, painfully early this morning, I was herded out of bed by hungry dogs and the imminent arrival of my father-in-law who was helping the Mister with a drywall project today. All too soon, I found myself at my desk drinking coffee and listening to my husband and his father discuss the "right way" to do something while I tried to figure out why an item I ordered for church was sent to me twice. (It turned out it was because I placed the order twice.) Well into the second cup of coffee I still was not any more alert, and certainly in no shape to mess around in the garden, as is my usual Monday morning routine. And the increasing heat found me lacking the desire to put some our berries into dessert form, other than adding them to the fruit salad I already made. Finally, I decided to quit pretending that anything productive was going to happen this morning, and decided to pop some pop corn to take with me to the library later on for lunch. After burning the pop corn, feeding it to the birds, and making peace with the fact that I would have to buy lunch later as I was already late, I grabbed some packages to mail and somehow made it out the door. Hungry.
In the car, I heard a funny noise and then remembered that I completely forgot to check the oil in the car, which I knew was low. And then I pulled up to the post office which was closed. For lunch. Sigh. Oh, and did I mention that not only was I exhausted, but also running a low grade fever? Yes, well, this was my morning. But I think it is good to have ocassional disclosures such as these, so that my blog will never be in danger of becoming a candy shop of syrupy confections of perfection. Not that anyone would take that danger seriously.
In the Kitchen: Canning pickles, and wondering the whole time, who grew all these things?
On the Table: Stuffed green peppers (which we will be eating every week because we have tons of peppers), corn on the cob, cheese and crackers, fruit salad.
In the Garden: Corn should be ready for harvest any minute, and I can see our tomatoes turning red. Pole beans are staked, and we're getting a lot of strawberries. We are starting to get cherry tomatoes, and this is our favorite way to use them, but you can use grape or teardrop ones too:
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/4 cup diced red onion
3 T olive oil (extra virgin)
3 T fresh chopped basil
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Brush bread with a little olive oil, then toast and add topping. Also delicious on crackers.
(Before I go, I'm shamelessly promoting Luci's new website: http://www.aseparategod.com/
and I think her next book will be out late fall/early winter.)