A Simple Pleasure of Summer

Cherries are one of the best simple pleasures of summer.


Fat, deep burgundy, juicy circles of yummy goodness, cherries need absolutely no embellishment.

Their delicious taste is reminiscent of the hot and sultry days of summer. Crunching into one of them, juice dribbling onto one's fingers, is delightful. (They could probably be used to make ruby lips for some young lover, too.)

Tucked into a picnic basket, they are perfect for nibbling and much less fattening than potato chips or sweet desserts like fudge or nut-studded brownies.

Put them on a glass serving plate and set it on a crocheted doily and the cherries become fit to serve royalty.

 Of course, cherries taste great as turnovers inside a flaky crust or on a three-inch high slab of New York cheesecake, too. 


Cherries jubilee, which literally goes up in flames, can be a real eye-opener among guests at the table. It will be a dessert they will never forget.  But just plain cherries, ripe and sweet, taste just as good.

Today, we are joining Dayle from A Collection of This and That, for her weekly party on Simple Pleasures.

Drop by her blog and see what other people consider summer's delights.

EVEN IF YOU DON'T JOIN THE PARTY, THINK ABOUT WHAT A SIMPLE SUMMER PLEASURE IS FOR YOU. 

SHARE IT IN THE COMMENT SECTION, IF YOU WANT TO AS WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

WEDNESDAY: Roses Lift Up the Spirit

It was a typical afternoon at the supermarket.  The usual items got piled into the cart. Then, I saw the special on roses, including sumptuous apricot colored ones.

     "Still too much,"  I thought. "But they are sooooo beautiful."  I wheeled  that supermarket cart right past the flowers and continued shopping. Before leaving the store, however, I returned to the flower department, picked up the gorgeous roses, and put them into the cart. 

Just as one needs food for the body,  flowers are food for the soul.

Once home, I laid them out on the counter and cut their stems.

 

Found my old-fashioned cut glass pitcher and filled it with water and the packet of rose food.

 

Two roses accidentally broke off but landed in their own gorgeous cut glass creamer.

Onto the table went a yellow damask tablecloth and yellow placements. Carefully, gently, as if handling gold, I carried the pitcher of  flowers to the table.

The result of this impulse purchase? ----a well fed soul and happy spirit, both of which are worth at least three times the final cost of the groceries.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU BOUGHT YOURSELF FLOWERS?

New Book: "Thin Threads of Women and Friendship"

Kiwi Publishing,  of  New Haven, Connecticut, has a new book out, titled "Thin Threads of Women and Friendship" and I'm thrilled to tell you that one of my stories, written about a very dear friend of mine,  is published in it!

The new "Thin Threads" book was compiled by Stacey Battat, who founded Kiwi Publishing with her husband, Eitan, and Mary Jones, of ww.talkofconnecticut.com.  They said the new edition will remind readers "why we love our women friendships."

Everyone has a special friend at some point in life, right?

There are acquaintances----most people have many of those---but a special friend is much more. He or she comes into one's life and makes a really huge impact.

I have a friend like that who is dear to my heart. She has been there for me in good times and in bad. She is faithful, kind, generous, loving, and optimistic. Her name is Delores. I moved far away from her nine years ago but it didn't put a dent in our friendship. Instead, it just kept us from seeing each other as much.

When I read that Kiwi Publishing Company was working on a book that was to be titled "Thin Threads of Women and Friendship," I immediately sat down at the desk in my home office and wrote a story about Delores and then submitted it to Kiwi Publishing.

Naturally, I was thrilled when Stacey sent an email telling me my story had been accepted for publication. It's always very competitive to get into a book like this so I truly thanked my lucky stars for the story on my friend being accepted.

Delores' birthday is coming up so guess what I sent her? Yep, her own copy of "Thin Threads of Women and Friendship." I wrapped it up in shiny gold paper, tucked in a hand-painted bookmark purchased from a New England artist, and sent all in a manila envelope, along with a birthday card. I know she'll love the book.

By the way, if anyone is interested in buying some of the Thin Thread books,  here's a link to Kiwi's website.
It is joyful to share with you that I had another story published in "Thin Threads of Faith and Hope."
It's pretty exciting to have stories published and wonderful to be able to share part of one's heart with the world!
 
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH KIWI PUBLISHING'S 'THIN THREADS' BOOKS? 

MONDAY: The Sea, The Sea, The Glorious Sea

Is there anything more healing than spending a day and night at the beach?

The soothing sound of the waves swishing against the sandy shore:

The faraway voices of children looking for crabs:

The sad caw of the seagulls whose wings take them soaring through the sky:

Sitting in a lawn chair at water's edge, letting the waves splash up to the ankles:

Lightly fried fat-belly clams and luscious salad with yummy blue cheese dressing:

 












On a pond, near the sea, a swan family  gracefully gliding by in silence:

Beach flowers, (wild beach roses, perhaps?),  providing dabs of color:

Once totally rested and  stress-free, it's important to be deeply thankful for the sea, the sea, the glorious sea.

DO YOU GO TO THE OCEAN ONCE IN AWHILE? IF NOT, WOULD YOU WANT TO?

SUNDAY: Have a Zinnia Kind of Day!

(All photos taken June 25th  at a special birthday party.)

Zinnias are among the brightest and cheeriest of flowers.

They come in a wide range of bright colors.

They are pleasant to look at and generous with their blooms.

Zinnias are among the best offerings of summer.

Even the sound of their name, z-i-n-n-i-a, kind of rolls off the tongue in a pleasant way.

Today, I have a special wish for you--may you have a zinnia kind of day!

Brownies for the Sweet Tooth

One of my sweet sisters makes the most luscious brownies.

They are moist, sweet, and filled with crunchy walnuts.

Luckily for all, she shared her "secret."  She substitutes olive for vegetable oil. 

I've tested different boxed mixes and like Pillsbury the best. ( There is no affiliation with the company and no pay offs of any kind. I just like the taste and consistency of that brand the best.)

The day arrived when I tried the olive oil and walnuts and sure enough, they came out moist and chewy. They also made the house smell divine.

I quickly packed them into a plastic bag and laid them to rest in the freezer. 

 Otherwise, the pan they were in would look like this:

Now, drop in guests will get a tasty treat. In the meantime, I'll try my darndest to keep away from that freezer.

Sending this one to you, dear reader:

DO YOU LIKE BROWNIES?

Refreshing Water

                                                   (Photo taken in Washington Park, Albany, New York)


What is better, on the scorching days of summer, than cool water?

Whether we are immersing ourselves in a pool of water, or sipping a cool glass of it, one thing is certain:  water refreshes.

It cools us off and brings relief from the oppresive heat.

When we swim in it, it feels good to move our bodies.  It's nice to get every inch of our bodies wet. Ahhhhh, such sweet relief from being overheated.

Who can resist the magnetic pull of the ocean?  It is there we find solace and peace, with the swishing of the waves and caw of the seagulls.

 

                                      (Photo taken at a beach in Old Lyme, Connecticut)


Sipping a glass of ice cold water is such a treat. If lemon, lime, or orange slices have been added to it, so much the better.

In Christianity, water has significant symbolism. It is considered "living."  When we are washed in it in baptism, we are made new.

Every time we take a sip of clean, pure water, we are blessed. In some places in the world, running water would be considered a true luxury.

Think of that next time you take a sip of it.

DO YOU DRINK A LOT OF WATER?

Gardenia Plant for Father's Day

This past Father's Day, it was fun to make one of my hub's mini dreams come true. After all, he's always been a totally dedicated father.

I felt it was important to remember him with something special on Father's Day, after all the love and sacrifices he's made for decades of his life.

For his major gift, he received a gardenia plant. I purchased it the day prior to the holiday and then hid it on a side porch.  Sunday morning I hoisted it into the house and put it on the kitchen table.  He got quite a surprise when he came down to breakfast.

It was wonderful to have our daughter and son-in-law join us for the Father's Day breakfast.

 

My hubs and I both love the scent of the regal gardenia. One creamy white bloom can fill a room with fragrance. It's soooooo beautiful.

Now, it is my fondest hope we can keep this lovely plant alive. The girl at the nursery said to give it plenty of sun and water.

    

     "The more sun it gets, the more flowers it will give,"  she said.

My late Mom carried a gardenia bouquet on her wedding day so the flower has sentimental significance for me.

My hubs also received solid purple plus purple and white striped petunias from me.  I wanted him to plant them in the window boxes in front of the house. Does that make the petunias less of a gift? (Oh well...:)

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A GARDENIA PLANT? DID IT LIVE?

Restaurant: Stephi's on Tremont in Boston

Boston is a picturesque, historical city that's fun to visit. One can dine in any of hundreds of restaurants but, let it be known, like in cities everywhere, prices are not cheap.

During a recent trip to Boston, it was fun having lunch at Stephi's on Tremont, a rather posh eating establishment with good food and a friendly, helpful server.

Here's the view from our table:

We all took bites of Thai spring rolls as appetizers:

Two of us had yummy lobster rolls:

One had roast beef sandwich with au jus:

One of my dining companions had Lemon Budino for dessert. It was lemon pudding with wild Maine blueberry compote, fresh whipped cream, and sugared shortbread cookies:

Okay, chocolate lovers, here's the Fudgy Brownie Bread Pudding. It came with hot fudge, creme anglaise, and vanilla ice cream:

I didn't order dessert but cannot feel completely sinless because I did sneak in a couple of bites of the desserts on the table.

Here are my two sweet dining companions:

WHAT DID YOU ORDER THE LAST TIME YOU  WENT OUT TO LUNCH?