On figs and cats and torches and summer coming to a close

Tonight Jack convinced me to drill a small hole through a stick he'd found so that he could insert a match and light it, thus making an Olympic torch. As you may not be surprised to hear, a match burns pretty quickly, so "torch" was an ephemeral status.

"No, Mom, I've got it! We need gasoline!"

"No, Jack, we're not pouring gasoline into a handheld twig. Thank you. Goodnight."

"Moooooooooooom."

"No."

30 minutes later, T and I are presented with this.

Another 60 minutes later, I check on the children to find that both have drawn red marker and black ink pen beards on their faces and are wearing Italia hoodies. Oliver is drooling onto his pillow-whilst gnawing on corn last night, another top tooth dislodged and so he is now minus his front four which is really pretty significant- and Jack is still awake which does not bode well for tomorrow, the final day of camp.

The good thing about camp ending is that I do not have to pack another lunch until next summer.

The bad thing about camp ending is that camp is ending and we have three weeks left until school resumes. LAWD! SO MANY HOURS IN A DAY!

I will seek refuge in the Nut who continues to be adorably imperious and delightfully plump, and I will continue to encourage anyone listening to vote not only Donald Trump off our island but also Ryan Lochte. At least he hasn't resurrected his grill.

Today I admired and photographed figs and also cooked the boys a lovely dinner that required no more than three teeth to eat and then made a rainbow carrot and raisin salad. The evening light glows so becomingly this time of year; if you can avoid the mosquitan bandits out for all your blood, you will be rewarded with beautifully lit, no flash photos. 

As an added bonus tonight, I leave you with this truly HYSTERICAL Ode to Synchronized Swimming. 

And the year comes to an end

With a bang and a swoosh, another school year is over. The boys are awfully sad and equally tuckered out so are R&R'ing with all forms of electronic input right now. I'm cleaning the last of the dishes and feeling just a touch glum that my afternoon pedicure plan was foiled by a last-minute babysitter cancellation. Ah well, all the better to simply stay put. I am thrilled by how marvelously happy and successful the faculty and staff appreciation lunch went today. The chance of rain remained nothing more than a chance, and I was so well organized this year that I even had time to dress up and put on make-up before heading over to school. So many parents helped set up, donated beautiful desserts, arranged flowers and really gussied up the lunchroom. And when I went back afterwards for clean-up, the teachers were dancing to beat sixty looking thrilled as could be. I feel awfully proud and grateful I can give back in this way. Feeding others is often love and thanks, you know?!

I also made red beans and rice and a strawberry cake. As I whipped the frosting this morning, I thought, "Wouldn't a pale pink hue be lovely?" Out came my never-before-used pink Wilton food coloring and into my pillowy, snow white frosting went a few tiny drops. Y'all, it was all immediately a vat of bubblegum pink, like Pinkalicious in a bowl. I about died. This was NOT the color I was going for; I mean really, was I cooking for a five year old girl? I felt obliged to make an announcement before lunch began that despite the color of this towering cake, it was in fact a from-scratch strawberry cake and would be spectacular if anyone was willing to try it. When I returned, hoping for a sliver, there was not a crumb to be found, so I'm glad they all believed what I said. Hah!

I am really looking forward to a good night's sleep and tomorrow will get my car's oil changed and pack up for the beach. Back to finish the bit of cleaning left. Washing dishes after a grand party always feels good; as I tidy the remains of the fun, I get to think back over it all and enjoy again a job well done.

Sunny Sunday and a lovely meal

Today was beautiful. The sky was bright, fully illuminated, alive. A definite briskness remained, but the nascent spring's softer contours rounded out what stubbornly remains of our elongated, deeply chilly winter. Despite the fact that I don't put much stock in weather forecasts, I took the mid-70s proclamation for Sunday at word and wore shorts to Jack's baseball game. This was a slight overreach but by the time it wrapped up, my goosebumps had subsided and actual warmth was penetrating my epidermis. Brava!! My little boy and his teammates were darling to watch and though they lost 13-0, I couldn't have been more proud. Room for improvement! Four of the women in my writing class and I really clicked and decided to forge ahead as a group, teacherless and fearless. This afternoon was our first "class" and not only was it great to hear each of their voices but also wonderful to be back in the student saddle. And then back to the boys, the evening routine and dinner. Most everything was from our trip to the farmers market this morning, the produce at the height of just-picked freshness, the turkey from a happy bird slaughtered humanely, well as humanely as slaughter can be. It was light, flavorful, simple and good.

I grated these carrots for a Moroccan salad: raisins, olive oil, fresh ginger, cinnamon, honey and lemon juice. It's always good.

I oven-roasted the leeks, with just some olive oil, salt, pepper and two small pats of butter. And with the turkey breasts, I heated up the good-old cast iron skillet and made a quick piccata, minus the breading, heavy on the lemon and capers. Bellissima!

And now, the Mad Men season premier. Aah!!!