Stream of consciousness catch-up/catchall

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Taught another class today - Canning 101 - which was great fun. 

Went to dinner with girlfriends- also great fun.

Mulched and tended the now-two blackberry bushes from Papa that comprise my "blackberry patch." I love them. Number 1 is thriving. So are my tomatoes.

Blackberry 1

Blackberry 1

He thinks he's totally hidden

He thinks he's totally hidden

Spent another 90 minutes sorting and building Legos with Jack. We spent a marathon 6 hours yesterday sorting and free-building an X-wing. It was the weirdest sort of sedentary fun. 

Took a run this afternoon, and boy did it feel good to sweat. I haven't exercised in weeks; this is not a good trend, not good for my psyche at all. Pounding the pavement today, making that soft-clop contact with the earth felt so good.

On Saturday, we are heading to NC for our annual family vacation at the beach. It is always wonderful to see the boys with their cousins, and to have no concerns greater than the amount of sand we are or are not tracking inside. We will also get to spend three days with one of my dearest-ever friends and her family. #giftsallaround

Brexit looks like it will happen. This is not, in my opinion, a good thing at all. The Pound is already plummeting. The EU has been beset with problems from the get-go, but I still find this probably departure sad, and if the UK splits afterwards, well, I find that even sadder. Nothing is permanent. That, in many ways, is sad too.

One of my dear friend's parents were just in Louisiana. Her mother, a very talented photographer, took this photo of Lake Martin, a gorgeous swampy area. This picture captures it perfectly, and I am grateful she shared it with me. #myhome

As always, I am hopeful that things feel slower soon. At least my core feels calmer. Baby steps, I guess.

Tomatoes, and such

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Making any version of this...

means my favorite time of year has arrived.

Heat, humidity, sunlight, and all the growth of this sort of produce that those three things enable. Mamma mia, y'all should see my own tomato, okra, eggplant and herb plants. They are going gang-busters outside, and the beautiful yellow, white and purple flowers are any accurate indicators, we'll have a delicious assortment of goodies in the near'ish future. 

For dinner tonight I also made some fava bean, mint and pecorino puree, as well as some wonderfully seasoned sautéed shrimp with dipping sauce. 

Thank you for all of the warm responses to yesterday's post. Your support means a lot to me, and I hope you all know that none of us need feel alone, even when we think we are. Reach out, ask someone what you can do, tell someone what he or she means to you; you never know how much that might be needed, welcome, desired.

Please continue to spread the word about the classes I'm offering this summer. The first, Canning 101, is in just a couple weeks. I'm very excited and hope to see many familiar and new faces!

Y'all, how much do I love this guy? So much!

He does NOT fit in that box.