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LUCY BURDETTE: How in the world did we get to the middle of August already? But it’s still summer! So I thought we should talk about the best parts of the season so far…You’ve already heard that we had many visitors, all great, if somewhat tiring:).
But John’s garden is suddenly going great guns. Is there anything better than tomatoes right off the vine, plus beans and cukes, and corn from the farm in town? To top it off, one of the vendors at the farmer’s market sells the most amazing fresh mozzarella…
Wonderful summer books abound, even though I’m reading slowly because of all the other things happening and my own book to finish. (I'm just finishing Leslie Karst's book and will start Mrs. Plansky next.) My friend Steve and I have been attending the ukulele club at the local library. And Lottie and I are doing a refresher class in ‘manners’—it could be that mine are the problem, not hers:).
What are your favorite parts of the summer so far, and what are you looking forward to?
The summer certainly does seem to be racing along. We’ve been enjoying having our youngest two grandchildren staying with us for the summer. There’s nothing like having grandbabies around all the time!
ReplyDeletethat's lovely Joan!
DeleteI've gotten to swim some, which is always great. Unfortunately, I'm nursing a bad shoulder, so I haven't been paddle boarding this year. Still, I did get to take two trips to visit friends, one in NYC and one on the Central CA coast.
ReplyDeleteBoo on the bad shoulder Mark, but the friend visits are great!
DeleteSummer produce, always! Lots of sweet corn and local eggs (YUM). Plenty of my own blueberries and gold cherry tomatoes, a few heirlooms starting to ripen, enough cukes, armfuls of basil, and fifteen foot high sunflowers. My last eggplant plant is struggling, so I need to get to the farm and remedy that.
ReplyDeleteI also got in a fabulous beach day with my beach buddy bestie of many years, and lots of dinners and reading on the deck (A Clue in the Crumbs right now!). I wish I had more visitors (my sons and their wives are together, but on the west coast with their dad's family, alas, so all I get are photos).
we have amazing sunflowers this year too--what a plant that is! Sorry your kids are far away:(
DeleteRelaxing and the slower pace of summer.
ReplyDeletesounds good!
DeleteIn Spain and Portugal, summer time is fiesta time. That means concerts and folkloric performance in various towns and lots of eating and socializing on those open plazas everywhere in Europe, not just Iberia. However, August is the big vacation month for locals, and since August is normally pretty hot, that means trips to the various beaches.(Portugal has a very long coastline, so there are a lot of beaches.)
ReplyDeleteFiestas sound so fun Elizabeth!
DeleteIt's been a weird summer, weather-wise in Ottawa with either smoky skies or torrential downpours. As a result, my balcony garden has been struggling. I still enjoyed eating plenty of cherry tomatoes, leafy greens & herbs. Zilch harvest from my eggplants although one deformed one has evaded Satan (the black squirrel's) greedy paws & is still growing.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to travelling next Friday to San Diego for vacation & Bouchercon. It's been 3.5 years since my first San Diego visit was interrupted by the pandemic. I have places to see/revisit & my mouth is salivating when I think of all the yummy food. Baja fish tacos, Cali burritos, really good pizza and more!
See you there!
DeleteGrace, like you and Edith, our eggplants simply didn't produce. Yes, see you in San Diego. What restaurants are your favorites?
DeleteI'm staying in Little Italy for the first 5 days. Isola Pizza, Solunto and Monello were good for Italian food. Tacos el Gordo (now in Galslamp) for adobada and carne asada tacos.
DeleteMy other faves are not in the downtown. Oscar's Mexican Foods (Hillcrest and Pacific Beach) and Kikos place (food truck in Mission Valley) for baja fish, shrimp and/or octopus tacos and ceviche.
Grace, that sounds lovely. I wonder how far the walk from Little Italy is to the site of the Bouchercon?
DeleteDiana
DIANA: It would be a 30 minute walk from Little Italy to the Marriott.
DeleteThe Green Trolley also runs between the Convention Center and Little Italy.
DeleteI'm with Grace on the weirdness. We've had more rain in two months than we usually get in a year. After a winter with no snow. I'm looking forward to going up to Maine again for a few days with my daughter and her family. Long walks.Sunsets. Lobster. Ice cream. Mmmmm.
ReplyDeleteCan't beat that Hallie!
DeleteYou should all be aware that where you are staying it is likely to be cloudy and or foggy most of the day. Temps in the low seventies with very little sun. Typical San Diego coastal weather..
DeleteWe have had a weird weather summer, too, but that has not been the main problem. Irwin and I have had physical challenges that caused us to postpone our trip to see daughter and family in Delaware, which would have meant beach days and we have curtailed our walks here, too. I have actually been afraid to swim, which I used to do with some regularity.
ReplyDeleteHe cannot play tennis. At all. So, he is home way too much. I am trying to remain cheerful but a lot of that is manufactured. All the "happy" here is from books and stories.
We have a family wedding coming in September and need to get our act together for that destination and event. For now, I'll turn my attention to that.
Oh boy Judy, so sorry to hear about your health challenges. I hope you're getting the help you need!
DeleteSummer is baseball ⚾️ We enjoy watching college kids play for our Northwest League team and we run our 1860 Vintage club at the History Center of Olmsted County. We have one event left this season hosting a team from Brooklyn, NY. They play 1864 rules so it will be slightly different.
ReplyDeleteWe’ve gotten into Pickleball and that is a fun way to get some exercise. Just spending time out on the deck reading and watching the hummingbirds is probably my favorite summertime activity. It will be covered in snow all too soon.
Reading with the hummingbirds sounds idyllic!
DeleteI wish I could write that we are eating our way through summer, but such is not the case. We were in the direct line of hurricane Fiona last September and are still feeling her brunt. Besides the trees that were left standing trying to survive the wind damage, they were also covered in salt from the blowing winds, and are struggling to return to normal life. Hopefully that is the reason for the many anomalies this summer, and things will return to better next year.
ReplyDeleteSo it means that there was not one cherry on 4 trees, no apples, no raspberries or blackberries and the wild blueberries are shrunken and a very poor crop. The tame blueberries have fruit on them and should be edible next week. Let’s hope we have more than just a bowlful each!
The garden is delightfully green (all that is from seed just planted so no storm damage). This year the tomatoes are above my head in growth, but the fruit is just setting – not even big enough for fried green ones yet! Beans are just starting and so are the peas and zucchini, so there may be vegetables for supper soon. The kids want steak for supper, so that would be good with beans and zucchini – maybe a stir-fry goulash thing…
The most disturbing thing is that there have been very few bees which may be a part of why there is no fruit. Some birds seem to be in low numbers – cedar waxwings for example, but they usually come for the cherries and there are none. However, the greatest disaster is that we have not seen even 1 Monarch. Last year we had over 300. We watch and watch, but have given up hope for this summer. Even if they do arrive, there is not enough time for a turnaround generation. This is a true catastrophe, as we were hoping last year that they would make a real come-back in our area. It will take researching the summer data to see if this population’s numbers are down everywhere, or it is just us.
Meanwhile, my son came to visit and he brought a BIG boat, so we have been enjoying the lake and the 12 yr old grandchild (what a delightful age), and the sun is shining and the day is glorious. Tomorrow they will depart and the weather is planning on sending us a deluge (again).
I do love the summer!
Lucy, I just saw your pancake-chicken recipe - now I need more company to have an excuse to try it.
Margo, the loss of insect life is truly chilling. I was horrified to see dozens of dead bees on our front walk a few weeks ago, and we have not seen any butterflies or caterpillars for over a month. I suspect our newest neighbor is having their yard treated for mosquitoes--which doesn't kill the mozzies, but it does kill everything else.
DeleteKaren that is horrible. Does your neighbor realize he is killing (murdering ?!) off all the beneficial insects. Maybe he needs spider webs to catch mosquitos. Isn't there anything that can be done to prevent such an environmental hazard?
DeleteI honestly don't know. There are "mosquito joe" kinds of lawn services, and I can't imagine how they're legal.
DeleteThat's awful about your fruit trees! As for the waffles (on mystery lovers kitchen today), you can make them for yourselves and freeze the extras!
DeleteKaren, I wonder if it's regional. I've seen lots of butterflies and seen more lightning bugs than ever.
DeleteI can't believe it's almost the end of August. My highlights include:
ReplyDelete- a week visit at my sister's and then she came and spent a long weekend at The Cottage, when we got to take my nephew to see animals and to Idlewild
- a weekend with my best friend of 38(!) years
- my kids' birthdays
- sweet corn on the cob
all sounds great Liz!
DeleteWe had a great family get together. Our daughters and their respective families, the other sets of grandparents, son-in-laws brother and his daughter. 14 of us all together for a week. It was so nice to sit around chatting, getting caught up on old times and watching the grandkids play and run around.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing is to watch my two grandkids (9 & 12) various sports activities. Over the summer they do Junior Lifeguards (taught by the city Lifeguards). The kids jump off a small cliff at the La Jolla Cove to simulate rescues, and the big event is to jump off a large pier (bt/wn 35- 40 feet). It is a big community event and so much fun to watch all the kids.
wow, those kids are intrepid. I'm afraid I flunked jr lifesaving because I couldn't tow the squirming lifeguard to shore...
DeleteIt's been a busy year, period. We have had so many get-togethers here this summer, and one more next week will round out the season, I think. Sunday we had 30 family members and friends here, including all three daughters. They so love getting together, and had not been able to since March of 2022, so lots of laughs and fun. We also had five little girls here: my three adorable great nieces, ages 7, 4, and 2 1/2, and twin cousins just five months old. Happy times.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Northern Michigan three times this year--1,000-mile round trips each. Since my grandson is off to college this weekend we tried to see him as often as we could before he has his own life and choices.
The big joy, for me, was having so much gardening success this summer. I've picked, literally, bushels of tomatoes, plus gallons of green beans, lettuce, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, garlic, and lots more. Just looking at the lush life around our yard makes me happy. It was grand fun to take the great nieces out in the veggie garden and offer tastes. Hilarious results.
your garden sounds wonderful!
DeleteYou must be canning and pickling?
DeleteMore freezing than anything!
DeleteFavorite parts of the summer are longer daylight hours. I cannot believe the summer went by so fast! We celebrated a relative's upcoming marriage with a bridal shower in June, which was held outdoors.
ReplyDeleteGot vaccinated and boosted in June. We had rainy weather for about one or two weeks in the summer (wish I could recall which month), which was very unusual in northern CA. After years of the drought, we are getting more rain this year.
Wonderful surprises at the Organic grocery store - Strawberries, Blueberries and Dry Farmed Tomatoes. I found Cashew Milk fresh Mozzarella, which tastes like real Mozzarella. I threw together Basil, Fresh Mozzarella Slices and Dry Farmed Tomato Slices together and made salad. Yum.
So looking forward to seeing friends in a couple of weeks. First time since the beginning of the pandemic.
Best news of all - NO Falls this time. A year ago, I fell down just before Memorial Day Weekend. Fingers crossed!
Diana
What does Dry Farmed mean? Is it the name of an enterprise, or does it mean grown without additional watering? Just curious.
DeleteDiana, thought of you this morning, upon seeing Dorothy Casterline’s obituary in the NYT. What good and interesting work she did with ASL. Elisabeth
DeleteRain was in April not June!
DeleteFarmed without irrigation, apparently, Margo. https://dryfarming.org/about/what-is-dry-farming/
DeleteThanks, Edith. I was curious too. Elisabeth
DeleteThanks. We all seem to be getting more conscious about the use or overuse of water.
DeleteAnonymous, perhaps you were not in California in June? I checked my calendar and it did rain for a week in June, which was quite unusual.
DeleteMargo, I wondered about "dry farmed" too. Edith, thank you! Diana
DeleteElisabeth, thank you. I googled Dorothy and she had a very interesting life. She was born in Hawaii to a Japanese family. The New York Times published her obituary. She worked with Stokoe who was hearing and he was interested in collecting signs all over the States. I recall he recognized American Sign Language as a language. Today some high schools offer ASL as a Foreign Language.
DeleteDiana
Favorite part of the summer--all the lush greenery--wore a mask and walked even with the smokiness earlier this summer. Using the Merlin app with my grand-nephew and trying to spy out the birds we heard calling as we walked. BLTs thanks to my neighbor's fresh produce! Catsitting my nephew's new cat while he went on vacation. A tiny little tuxedo girl and the undisputed boss of all she surveys :-). Watching our Jimmy ginger boy playing with her like he's a year-old again.
ReplyDeleteOh I love the cat story. I'm afraid Tbone would pummel any visitor...
DeleteWe have hundreds of little Sungold tomatoes! Hundreds! And every day we go out and pick them up, it’s fantastic. They are so delicious, warm off the vine. I have invented tomato toast for breakfast, pumpernickel, bread, toasted, with halved Sungold tomatoes and salt. Yum Yum Yum. On weekends, I get to have it with mayonnaise or cream cheese, but only on weekends. So good!
ReplyDeleteYou have much better control than I do Hank LOL. I'm trying so hard to write but decided I needed a chocolate chip cookie to carry on!
DeleteThe best part of summer for me is fresh fruits and vegetables . Buying strawberries at the beginning of June, than picking raspberries and blueberries in July and August. Regretfully, the picking season here has now ended except for apples coming in September. Tomatoes and corn are just in season and delicious. Yellow beans are rare this year, so I feast on green beans instead and other vegetables.
ReplyDeleteI could visit my 98 years old godmother. I like to do it at least once every summer.
The best to come are my daughter’s vacations during which we planned some activities together.
Danielle
Sounds like a good summer Danielle. We have the best local peaches here in CT, though the farm guy said they'd lost 60% of the crop in a strange freeze.
DeleteAlthough I really prefer cooler weather, I love the fresh fruits and veggies of the summer. I'm making a grape tomato and cucumber salad for a BBQ tonight and love how fresh the veggies are. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteYes on vegetables!!
DeleteLike Grace, I'm making the last event of my summer a (very long!) flight to San Diego to attend Bouchercon. Up until now I've enjoyed Bern's good weather, the masses of flowers (complete with many bees--yay!) on our balcony, the launch of my second book, SONS AND BROTHERS, in Bern's Old Town, and nine wonderful days in Amsterdam with my sister, the longest time we've had alone together in years. Oh yes, super-delicious cherries this summer!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is in Switzerland this week for work, she is a Chemical Engineer for Roche. Very hot, but not as hot as California!
Deletesee you in San Diego!
DeleteKIM: I'm looking forward to seeing you at Bouchercon!
DeleteWill be lovely to meet you both in person! Yay.
DeleteLucy, I want to come and visit you too, after seeing that amazing farmer's market bounty! Delicious. Summer highlights so far have been seeing lots of my family, having some wonderful dinner parties with friends, and, just lately, going to see the Sea Dogs (Portland's minor league team) with a bunch of my kids and their significant others. And in a small miracle, we had sun instead of rain that afternoon! (It's been like the Pacific Northwest here this summer: rain, rain, rain.)
ReplyDeleteYay for the Sea Dogs, Julia! The daughter of a friend interned with them this summer and loved it. She is majoring in Sports Team management at University of Maine (I’m not sure which campus.) please keep on enjoying those games! Elisabeth
DeleteSummer joy: watching all the turtle nests filling the beach (1,200 along this 3 mile stretch) and the morning turtle patrols. Summer interest point: how much unrelenting heat (heat index 100 plus) in FL is like unrelenting snow days in CT. Shut inside, outside unbearable. At least heat does not need to be shoveled.Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteExcellent point Elisabeth LOL! My sister works with the sea turtles on the FL panhandle.
DeleteYour sister does good work! On the east coast, Gumbo Limbo patrols from Broward County line north and shelters and treats injured turtle and Broward County patrols all the beaches in Broward . Love watching the early morning interns four wheeling up the beach and staking the nests! Elisabeth
DeleteLots of glorious clear sunny days here in the southern end of the Bay Area in California. However, the heat had been unrelenting. It has been over 100 everyday since July 1st except for three days in late July. We have been averaging 105, since July 1st. Fifty miles north San Francisco does not even get to the seventies. I have a lot of garden items, the tomatoes are abundant and usually last until Thanksgiving. Lots of running at 7:00 am. Hopefully no smoke at BCon. We were planning a Maui trip, changed to Kauai. Temp today will exceed 110.
ReplyDeletethose temperatures sound atrocious!!
DeleteWith lots of traveling in the spring and fall it was a joy to be at home most of the summer. We did a trip to Chicago in June for our anniversary and had dinner with our wedding party from 32 years ago. This weekend is a quick trip to the Channel Islands with my best friend from college (luckily just before TS Hillary gets here). Then Bouchercon!
ReplyDeletedinner with your wedding party--that's wonderful!
DeleteIt has been quiet for me with the exception of my sister and niece visiting in June. My niece brought her new pup, which I was told was house broken. Uh, no, not house broken. :-(
ReplyDeleteWe took the ferry to the ballgame. Great day even though the Giants lost. We've never taken the ferry to the game, it will be the only way go in the future.
Purchased my first Gravenstein apples last Sunday. Yummy Maybe I'll venture to the Farmers Market on Saturday see what I can find. If there are local pears, at a good price I might make some pear butter on Sunday
I'm reading and working on needlepoint. I was just about see about going the Bouchercon, which was a complete last minute escape plan/idea, but manager that was making work miserable resigned, so as much as I would love to be in San Diego next week, I am staying home to support the new staff coming in. Maybe next year.
it all sounds good except for the puppy:)
DeleteMy summer highlight was my three weeks in London. I missed the unusually cool Texas late June/early July and came home to roasting weather, so now just trying to hang in there until September. Looking forward to San Diego temps!
ReplyDelete