If Wishes Were Cool Water

I don't think I need to tell anyone that resides in these United States that is has been a long, hot summer.

**If you are in your 30's and beyond you might remember that the Long, Hot Summer was made into a made for TV movie (original was a scathing version in the theater in 1958) with Cybil Shepherd and Don Johnson.  It was almost too hot for TV.  I remember watching it from the top of the stairs outside my bedroom while my Mom had it on in the basement.**

Anyway, sorry for the sidebar but that is what the heat and humidity in the northeastern US will do to you, not fry, but slowly poach your brain.  It will also cause your hair to look like crap most of the time.

When I was little, we had a neighbor who had a pool.  Her name was Ada; so it was naturally, Ada's Pool.  It was a holdover from the pools of the 1950's; big, L-shaped and  had a 'deep end' of 10ft.  It was fed by spring water which meant is was REALLY cold for half the summer.  It didn't really matter though.  We were cold water kids.  We swam in the waters off Cape Cod.  To us, blue lips were cool.  The only bad part about the cold pool water was when we came home and had to race past the air conditioning unit in the dining room of the house, towels tightly wrapped around bare skin, otherwise you might freeze solid in the middle of the living room.

This summer I wished I was that little kid again.  We know very few people with pools and those we do know live further than next door and no one has a pool from the 1950's.  On really hot days this year I would find myself daydreaming or half remembering the joy of being able to play in a pool of cool water: having my Mom rate my dives off the diving board, Marco Polo, swimming through weighted hoops and diving for coins.  I remembered what it was like 'going under' that first time of the day, the rush I would get from the cold water enveloping my skin and quickly reducing the surface temperature of my body.  Then I'd pop up and the water would stream down my hair, chlorine stinging my eyes a little not just from the chemical but also from the sun reflecting off the water.

These days pools are small, shallow, square and are usually the temperature of warm pee by early July.  They cannot compare to the cold spring water, 10 foot depths and 1950's curves of Ada's pool.

On the hot days that are still due to come, you'll find me cruising along the bottom of Ada's pool or jumping off the diving board in a glorious cannonball trying to make it down to 10 feet...in my mind at least.

New Superhero Needs a Name

My alter-ego needs a name. Can you help?

Today I woke up with all my allergy symptoms in full swing. I was miserable and all I wanted to do was sleep some more.

Dun, dun, dun. Nemesis P invites friends over for a bbq (cool) BUT also has the contractor come to finish up work in the bedroom (not cool). I have 3 hours to get food, clean up after contractor, get rid of allergy symptoms and shower.

*blinding flash of (oven) light* It's ___________ whipper up-er of home for entertaining purposes! Able to create a relaxing event for family and friends at the drop of a hat even with her nemesis trying to thwart her at every turn.

That would be my alter ego. Fill in the blank. k?

I ran to Maple Acres and picked up beef patties (pasture raised thank you very much), tomatoes (searched long and hard for pretty ones), red potatoes (hey where is my potato salad recipe?) and corn. Headed to the g-store for sausages, rolls, potato salad fixins and snax. Ran home, boiled water, blanched green beans for hdo's, boiled potatoes, mixed potato salad dressing while spuds boiled. I then cleaned up bathroom, took a shower and then prepped rest of stuff.

Friends came over with their ADORABLE eat him up with a spoon boy, sweet Italian Greyhound, yummy wild rice salad and bottle of wine (much praise for the wine too). We sat on the grass, drank wine, nibbled food and relaxed.

Dun, dun, dun. Nemesis P whines that the patties are too frozen to break apart. Cue my sidekick of the day, hot water over freezer bag with patties inside to the rescue! Whining subdued.

Yummy dinner, good times with friends and a gorgeous evening. All thanks to ___________.
Me again, help me with a name.

Oh yeah, we didn't have the corn because awesome friends brought yummy salad. So ________ then blanched de-cobbed and froze said corn for winter goodness. My alter ego is also learning the ways of the domestic goddess.

Summer Nights

It is about 9pm. Tonight was one of those perfect evenings. I picked up steak, some fave cheeses and a boule for the soft cheese at the farmers market. When I got home I marinated the steak a bit, chopped up some patty-pan squash, baby potatoes, red onion and garlic tossed with salt and olive oil and let it sit for a bit before roasting. I finished off some white wine while P got the grill going and we munched on bread and cheese. We had dinner outside listening to Otmar Leibert (Flamenco music) and drank a nice Zin. The background; crickets, cicadas and other assorted creatures (including our backyard bats who I love). We went inside when G-dog became too interested in those nocturnal creatures.

Now I am listening to the neighbor kids shriek as they play hide and go seek or some sort of in the dark tag game. I can't help but smile because I remember doing that well past the age of...ahem...maturity and loving every minute of it. ;) It is a PERFECT summer evening.