Dog Days and Doldrums

It's hot! And far worse---it is very very humid. Some nights the beach is shrouded in a hot white blanket of fog as the humidity reaches the saturation point.

The ocean is often flat and shiny as glass and even the beach breathes a sullen sigh of exhaustion and ennui.

Times like this (naughty, I know), we secretly long for giant hurricane waves to sweep harmlessly in from far out in the Atlantic.

This is a small quilt I made a few years ago, inspired by the house block quilts of Freddy Moran.

The beach cottages are sleeping under starry skies and rising sun.

Ancient people believed that the hot days of July and August were caused by the rising of the Dog Star, Sirius--the second brightest star in our sky, which now rises at dawn with the sun.

 It heralds the return of Orion, soon to be visible in the dark morning sky.

He will bring with him the cooler nights of early autumn. Sirius is the bright star on the lower left of the chart below, in Canis Major.

Of course with the foggy nights and wet lavender dawns, we have to take that on faith, since sometimes the dunes aren't to be seen, let alone a star millions of miles away.


How do you keep cool? Any hints gladly considered....

love

             lizzy

                            ....gone to the beach

   

               

star charts borrowed via google seach/ all other photos by me.....

Sunflower Smiles

Sunflowers make me happy! I think they're probably the most cheerful flowers in the world.

I love their tall, crazy Jack-in-the Beanstalk stems and their cartoon heart-shaped leaves and perfect smiley faces.

And of course I loooove their taxicab yellow color and the bees and butterflies who come to visit. I dry the heads for my winter songbirds...

And these on my deck are "volunteers"---an old-fashioned way to say they grew like weeds or wildflowers from last year's planting...or the birdseed?

These are smaller sunflowers in a stoneware crock, also on my deck...

And in the garden, Black-eyed Susans...with more volunteers: Queen Ann's Lace.

Actually I guess these are rudbekias, but they're baby sunflowers to me....

This batch is so tall...well over 6 feet...very special.

They were free! And a smile is priceless, right?

love

             lizzy

      ...gone to the beach

Farm Girl Supper

It was hot and muggy and even the farmers market had a bit of the summer doldrums (mounds of wilt-y lettuce, eeew. Limp, sad cucumbers! double eeew.)

...but there were big, boisterous stacks of chartreuse-husked fresh-picked Long Island corn 

and bin after bin of the reddest ripest tomatoes.

And perfect pompom dahlias but that's another post, okay?

I decided the time was ripe (so to speak) for my once a year Ohio farmers' dinner of fried tomatoes and corn on the cob.

Some people make cornmeal-dusted fried GREEN tomatoes but I prefer my dad's mother's Ohio recipe which calls for highly seasoned (salt, black pepper, pinch of hot red pepper) white flour and just barely ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced about 3/8" thick.

 My mom fried the tomatoes in bacon grease! Now I use olive oil and a dab of butter. And back in the day, when I was a tiny girl, before we all got so healthy, she'd serve the tomatoes with fried pork chops! All smothered in rich cream gravy...ooooh! Heaven.

You can still make the cream gravy with the tomato browned bits, if you're feeling adventurous.  Pour off exces olive oil, toss in a few tablespoons of the dusting flour, stir with the tomato "brownies" til the flour begins to bubble. Stirring constantly, add equal parts hot water and skim milk, stir til it all boils and thickens.

 

Remember, we only eat this ONCE each summer.

And the corn, boil for a few minutes in salted water, serve well-drained and hot. Rub on some butter, yeah, butter! Then, go ahead---add a little salt?


Just this once, tonight. And enjoy the feast without guilt.

It's just one night...and we're celebrating. Ah, summer...

love

                        lizzy

          ............gone to the beach