Leftovers: August 2017
Well. We did it. We blinked. We went and we blinked and that summer that we longed for back in April is POOF! disappearing like minutes of sunlight each day. Here we are staring down Labor Day as our one final push for summer cookouts and warm nights and hopefully one more swim before the pool closes its doors.
I love August. It might be taking the lead (in my prestigious imaginary month competition?) for favorite summer month (very specific categories in this competition). The very month itself just feels ripe. Summer hits it's peak and you know it's just a matter of time before it goes south! Ripe tomatoes, ripe figs, ripe melons. My tomato plants, which took a dark, malnourished dive right around the time we left for the beach (and coincidentally the time they probably needed the most water), have resurrected themselves somewhat after a solid dose of fertilizer and some fresh soil-- so much so that I might even get a few more ripe tomatoes before the middle of September.
Of course, it's not like fall switches on like a light switch by any means. We'll still likely have an Indian Summer with days popping up in the 80s through October. But for each day that still calls for tank tops or sandals, there will be a brisk, crisp morning on the other side of it. Sure, you'll complain about the blazing sun in late September, but pretty soon you'll find yourself absent-mindedly grabbing a sweater before you leave the house, and just like they always do, the leaves will slowly change to red, yellow and orange. And you'll blink again. And it's fall.
So I'm going to soak up these last few weeks of stone fruits and sandals, of no coats at the bus stop and of early apples. I somewhat unconsciously started making an effort earlier this year to really look at each month for what it is, reflect on it and appreciate what it offers. It sounds so super cheesy, but at the same time it seems like each month goes by faster and faster (even Owen exclaimed the other day it felt like he JUST had his (May) birthday), so it's can't hurt to stop and take a look around while we're in it.
A volunteer sunflower that popped up underneath my bird feeder
Currently reading: Magazines. Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Milk Street Kitchen and Cooks Illustrated all arrived at my house within a few days of each other. Not to mention the Wine Enthusiast and an Indianapolis Monthly I snagged in the checkout of the grocery. Lots of inspiration, LOTS of hunger. Lots of reading outside on the patio. I don't hate it! Sometimes a magazine is all you need.
Currently Cooking to: Taylor Swift as she enters her much anticipated angsty Hot Topic Phase (that song is so catchy though), Suzanne Santo's (of HoneyHoney) debut solo album Ruby Red, Dr. Dog on random, and Mondo Cozmo's album Plastic Soul. Also not to go totally overboard on kitchen tunes but Beck has really been doing it for me lately. He has a new single out, but this Spotify playlist covers all the greats.
Currently Craving: Stuck between cherishing summer and anticipating fall, I'm simultaneously craving a cup of coffee, wrapped in a blanket, overlooking some sort of misty lake--- and a peach pie. On a picnic table.