jeweled balm for the battered spirit

The sun beat down on my back as I sat on the step filing my nails. It felt good. I raised my eyes and looked towards the trees that skirt the far side of the pond and marveled at the crispness of each leaf. Above them, the sky was the kind of blue that you see in the fall, when the air isn’t languid and soft with humidity. All the moisture now lay in the grass, a thick layer of dew that fell in the night. The dogs got their legs wet, and my pink crocs did nothing to keep the water away from my feet when we did our little toodle around the edge of the field this morning.

Thoughts of winter flash in my brain - unwelcome and quickly pushed away.

It was haircut and bath day for the dogs yesterday. They showed a certain amount of dismay when Carm hauled out the grooming table as they know full well what is coming. They were good though and cooperated well. Now they are sleek and hairless until their coats grow in, which will take less time than one would hope…

Sunday I attended my niece, Grace’s, wedding shower. I hitched a ride with my sister-in-law Tammy as it was way out on the far side of town. It was a lovely shower and I was so glad that I went. As an added bonus we stayed for supper at Frank & Tammy’s, something that we rarely do. The thing about families is that often get-togethers are all or nothing events, and with 4 siblings and their families it gets to be overwhelming.

I’m good with 2 or 4 guests at a time, after that I start to panic. I never know what to cook for big crowds. I think it is easier when a hunk of meat is at the center of the menu, but since I try to keep plant-based it gets trickier.

Of course I say plant-based, but what do I have in the instant pot? Eggs. We’ll be giving those up as soon as golf is over. I like to send Carm with a snack for the 9th hole and an egg, apple and walnuts seem to keep him fueled.

See this site for some eye opening facts about eggs: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/

All that being said about eggs, I love a hard-boiled egg just barely cooled. And the instant pot makes them gosh-darn easy to peel ;-)

“Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.”

~Ada Louise Huxtable