It appears that this life continues to be a small quiet kind of life, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, there are times when it feels like all my previous busy-ness was a bit overdone. I am sure that perspective will evolve in time, as life tends to evolve at its own pace. In the meantime I thought I would share a few small things that made me happy this past week.
1. It has been a tough summer in many ways, too hot and too dry, and part of the yard are not doing particularly well. Some plants are thriving, others are showing obvious signs of neglect, if not outright abandonment. And yet there is not much I can do at this point but just wait and see. What will die will die. Nature may or may not fill in the void, and next spring I will see what ventures forth and then reassess. Many of the older hydrangeas are showing obvious signs of stress, especially the lace cap hydrangeas, or hydrangea serrata, as they are not well adapted to Southern heat and drought (much like their adopted mother). It appears they will pull through, and I will round them out with the more resilient mop heads over the next few years.. The newer hydrangeas, the varieties of hydrangea paniculate, are thriving, as they are prone to do given their love of clay soils, and sun. Their constant bloom brings me great joy. The glowing border of coreopsis and hydrangeas makes even the hardest of summers somehow tolerable.
2. Which reminds me of the surprising resilience of these little apricot drift roses which keep blooming and blooming despite the fact that they are still in their nursery pots and have never been planted. So much for plans and good intentions. But they also serve as a reminder of tenacity and perseverance. I have given up fretting over whether or not they survive, but at the moment, nestled between some azaleas, they continue to appear surprisingly content with what meager resources life has give them.
3. Oreos! I have known that Nabisco came out with a gluten-free version of Oreos only for a month or two, but this was the first time I actually wandered into the cookie aisle of my local grocery store and tried a package. I don't buy many packaged foods, but Oreos have always had a special place in my heart. I think I have tried every brand of imitation gluten-free Oreo-like cookie on the market and had primarily given up. Even the best of them, Kinni-Toos by Kinnikinick, proved to be too sweet, leaving a metallic coating in my throat and not satisfying that particular craving. I would eat more than I wanted, seeking out some elusive sense of comforting satisfaction, and still feel unfulfilled. Sad that. I am happy to say that these Oreos taste much like the Oreos or memory. I could only eat two of them, and felt then that I had maxed out my sugar and carb intake for the day. This is partly due to the fact that I discovered early on in my chemotherapy treatment that the best way to minimize nausea was to avoid sugars, starches, most carbs, and alcohol. After a few months my tastes have probably changed, although I suspect my life-long love of sweets will always be with me. Anyway, two cookies one day, a third a couple of days later, and my craving has been satisfied. The package is gone; it was well worth the investment.
4. I sliced vegetable to make one of my favorite salads. One of the downsides of paclitaxel treatment (or Taxol) is the neuropathy that is frequently experienced by patients. I have had a great deal of neuropathy in my hands, and this has made it difficult to do many things, including anything much beyond minimum basics in the kitchen. However, my oncologist reduced my dose this past week, and although I still have neuropathy, I am actually able to type more easily and to hold a pen and a knife. Much to my joy, my garden and CSA this week supplied me with the components of one of my favorite salads and I was able to slice away without risk.
5. Magnolias. Not in my yard. Photo taken on my walk this morning, and yes my neuropathy had calmed down enough that I was actually able to take a walk. I adore magnolias in all their iterations.
6. I also went to the farmer's market, and gathered a small harvest from my deeply overgrown vegetable garden. The tomatoes and parsley are mine, The cantaloupe and eggplant are from the market. My own fairy tale eggplants got overwhelmed by the weeds, which is sad, because as much as they bordered on overproductive last year, I ended up loving having a constant supply of these tiny eggplant, more so than I would ever have anticipated.
So when I found a small box of tiny little fairy tale eggplant I had to make one of my favorite treats. I ate this every week last summer, sometimes making multiple batches in a week. This is the marinated aubergine recipe from the original Ottolenghi cookbook (page 27 in my edition). I don't think I used fairy tale eggplant the first time I ever made it; I didn't even know about the variety at that time, and Ottolenghi simply specifies small eggplant. I also originally used the tahini-herb dipping sauce he recommends as well, but now I don't bother. These tiny eggplants, simply quartered or halved, brushed with olive oil and salt and roasted are too divine. The trick is to make up the herb vinaigrette while the eggplant cooks, then drizzle it over the hot eggplant and allow them to sit for at least 2 hours at room temperature. When I have them, I keep a platter out on the counter to nibble on whenever I pass through the kitchen. Lemon Juice is important. The recipe specifies oregano and cilantro, but I find that whatever herbs I bring in from the garden work. More than once I have even subbed Nuoc Cham and Thai basil for the more traditional vinaigrette and been equally delighted.
There you have it, a wealth of bright spots to lighten my life. And it is still Saturday, although barely. I am tired, but it is a good kind of tired, the kind of tired that comes from getting outside and talking with friends and playing in the kitchen. All in all, a good week.
