Looking ahead to Summer

First of all, let me define Summer. It isn't the season I look forward to, it is that oh so brief time between the end of school and the beginning of school. This weekend, I can allow myself to let my mind glance at the possibilities of the upcoming Summer before I am so entrenched in the testing season that I can only think of bubble sheets and eraser marks.

For some reason, each Summer in recent memory has been marked in my mind by what cooking mood I was in and my self declared theme for the Summer. One Summer it was rustic fruit tarts until I could make up the combos by myself....no recipe following, just fruity goodness. The Summer we went to Colorado, I called the Cowboy Summer. Rustic, peppery food with unusual combinations of flavors. Not exactly Tex-Mex but a with a bit of that flair. One year we had a fabulous crop of jalapenos that were huge and almost sweet and I think we had stuffed poppers almost every night, in lots of different ways, for our Happy Hour. This year, thanks to Bob starting our raised gardens, we are growing a whole variety of  heirloom vegetables that will be my inspiration along with an entire dedicated bed of  fresh herbs right by the kitchen. Maybe our jalapenos will be perfect again......

I am always trying to find the perfect Summer drink to go with the theme. I think Bob has stumbled up on a winner that can be the base for many variations..........it is a homemade lemonade or citrus-ade depending on what we have on hand, and it is very refreshing and low in calories. With lots of ice, that is a winner. A good base for lots of different cocktails as well...

I think the point is, that when I have time, my mind turns to the kitchen. I let the local, fresh crops, along with our travels, and my reading, be my inspiration. I have the time, to tinker, test and explore different tastes and styles without feeling like I am taking time away from chores I should be doing. Any time I have some extra time, I turn to cooking but the Summer gives me time to be truly inspired.

I have more years than I would like until I can retire but it is something I think about more in this stage of my life than ever before. I also wonder what I will do with that new time of my life, which will, God willing, be a long stretch. Right now, I think I will fill my days with my own productivity......playing in the kitchen, playing with crafts, playing with my grandchildren, and traveling, to keep my inspirations flowing.

In the meantime, I will just glance at the coming of Summer, and wonder where it will take me.

Road Trip

When I was little my dad would come home and say to my mom, "Let's take a little trip to..." and we would pile in the car and go. We took a cooler full of sandwiches and soda that we would eat on the road. I was allowed to pack "my suitcase" which was red plaid. In it I could take the toys (mainly dolls with their clothing) that I wanted to take. No more than that little suitcase. Our dog, Heidi, and I would get the back seat and my Mom and Dad took the front. I have no idea what year Chevy it was, but I know it was always a Chevy, and it was a turquoise blue. It might not have had air or power anything, but it did have huge bench seats with no seat belts so you could sprawl out. Off we would go. What seemed boring at times to me then, no DVDs or satellite radio, seared wonderful memories into my brain so that when I think of road trips, I get happy.

Bob and I are about to take a road trip. I take lots of them but Bob and I, not so many. We usually fly. Our road trips are at our destination in a rental car. Fun, but not the same. We are setting out to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. Probably not the best time of year for the trip, but I am off, which makes it perfect. When I bought my car last year, I actually thought about how great it would be for the trip with the huge sunroof and comfy seats. I am ready.

I like being able to pile all that I want into the car. No weighing luggage...I can take what I want, even my pillow. I can take a cooler and snacks. With a GPS and an atlas, we can meander to our hearts content...kind of. I am not very good at spontaneous any more. I like to know where my head will rest the next night. But I am more relaxed, which is a good thing.

I am doing the driving. It saves the passenger side brake a lot of wear and tear. Don't get me wrong, Bob is a great driver. I am a bad passenger. I love to drive; always have. I love long distances and scenic vistas which I can glance at and be happy. Bob, on the other hand, likes to have that longer, lingering view, which does not mix with driving.

So we are setting off tomorrow. Happy Trails!

Weekday Waves

My mind is such a different animal on the weekend. It feels clean and clear of clutter...just like the wonderfully salty breeze you get at the beach. I feel as if all things are possible and I am truly present in my life.

Then comes Monday morning. I don't know about you but hearing the alarm at 5 am does not start my day out on a "beachy" note. No matter when I go to bed, my body rebels against getting up in the dark when I should just be using the bathroom and crawling back under the covers. The shower helps but really only a little bit. I feel like I drive to work on automatic. Don't get me wrong, I love my job; I would just like to do it later in the day and when I want to. Never the less, each weekday finds me at school. I feel like I am fully present at school, just maybe not fully present in my life. I can never remember the little things I have to do for "real life" unless I write them down. I get so involved in "school life" I can barely remember I have another life. I love the picture scroll on my computer because it reminds me that the world awaits and I do have an active role in it.

It feels like being in the ocean during the week. I am underwater so everything is a little muffled. I can only concentrate on staying afloat. Waves continually come and wash over me, forcing me to concentrate on reaching the surface once again. They aren't necessarily bad waves, but they are still forces to be reckoned with and survived. I drive home much like I arrived, on automatic, but certainly more tired from my bout with the sea of school.

I hate to say this but I think I am sort of like seaweed at home during the week, tossed into my chair. I get dinner, but forget to savor the process. I focus on savoring the end product (most times) but really I focus on watching the clock while mindlessly watching TV.....ahhhh, time to go to bed, that glorious finish to the day. As I have gotten older, I know it has gotten worse. But I am not too old to give up the fight. And I fight on....

Blessed are the weekends and the breaks for they allow me to reenter my true life; my family, my home, my pets and yes, even my chores. Although at times it feels as if the weekend is just filled with more things I need to do, I feel as if I am more present in the "to do" lists of laundry, cleaning and cooking. I chose what I get done and who I spend my time with rather than it being determined for me. No matter how chaotic it is on the weekends, it it still my mind's way of clearing the water and allowing me a chance to collect myself on the shore that is my life.

Maybe I will be ready to set sail again on Monday morning....