Friday, June 21, 2013

'Cause It's Summer, Summertime is Here....

And a beautiful day it is. The last 3 days have been really lovely, not too hot, not humid. My front garden is full of life and color. Birds and bees are everywhere,  the tea rose bush has resurrected, putting out deep red blooms and there's one extraordinary long-stemmed pink and pale yellow rose that's been photographed 3 times that I've seen. Surprising volunteers too, kale- which a friend offhandedly planted before the flood 2 years ago but which never appeared last year- has grown in 3 spots. The wildflower seeds Strider planted in May are thriving (though not blooming yet), the hostas have shot up and Summer is just barely 14 hours old.

Days like this, you can almost forget the destruction the flood brought. But it's never far from mind:
http://www.vermontviews.org/vermontviews.org/Stones_of_Years.html

My publisher, Phil Innes (yes, we're related somehow) sent me a rose from his garden today:


Friends are planning camping trips, and I came across this handy bunch of tips (though the Mountain Dew lantern is wrong, seek the formula elsewhere)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/camping-hacks-that-are-borderline-genius

Black Sabbath put out a new album, but if you don't know from Sabbath, here's a cheat sheet
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2013/jun/21/black-sabbath-beginners-guide

Here are some investment tips for those who'd like to make some $ from the obesity epidemic
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/06/16/the-top-5-diseases-caused-by-obesity.aspx

We've got great uprisings in Brazil- in every city people fill the streets. It's heartening.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323893504578557772354195716.html

And in our town... well, our Town Manager is leaving to run a town in Missouri. She's seen a lot here, and I'm sure she'll do well. This will leave her successor to be appointed by the current Selectboard, which I'm sworn to ignore because the locals didn't bother to vote in the last election and we have another roster of the good old boys there now. Well, we'll see what happens...

I'm quite content myself because I finally wrote Graham Kerr a fan email with my thanks for all his influence. To my now-forever-kvelling-over-it surprise he wrote back:

"My Dear Laura. You have a great gift of encouragement...keep it up when you
feel the prompt, there are many folks, who, like us, are so grateful for a
kind word in season. My love to your family, keep enjoying the kitchen!!
Graham."
Graham! I can call him Graham!
If by some strange fate you've never seen Graham in action, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prhsJR8hEq8
He is a healthy cooking advocate nowadays and does good work, but I'd never have gone into cooking if he hadn't made it look so much fun.

So Happy Summer, fellow babies of the northern hemisphere. Happy Winter to our southern hemisphere family. I'm sure there's more but I've got people to go and places to see.



Rock on.

16 comments:

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

It's nice to hear you sounding so cheerful. Then again, why wouldn't you? A note from Graham Kerr! How cool is that?? I used to watch him back in the '70s. Seemed like he put as much wine in his belly as he did in the food, but he sure had fun. (He must be about a hundred now, isn't he?)

You talking about the volunteer plants reminds of a gal I knew many years ago. She was going on and on about the "miracle" tomato plants that had sprung up in her year, when she had never planted them, how they were the best tomatoes ever, etc. I didn't have the heart to tell her they were probably the product of some bird poop.

Gorgeous rose!

Take care, kiddo. I hope you have a super weekend.

Geo. said...

I am 100, so Graham Kerr is 200 years old now. I hope neither of us ever dances with the gal in the last pic who has kicked the cats out of the poor boy with the stunned expression. Great post, Austan!

Elephant's Child said...

Another brilliant article - thank you so much for the link.
I love the rose you were given. And yes, we are in winter - but it is crisp and clean and I love it.
Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

I remember Graham Kerr. My dad used to watch him and laugh himself silly. Nice that you wrote to him before it was too late.

sdt (a.k.a. stevil) said...

How nice to hear that Graham Kerr wrote you back! (And that he is still with us. I used to get quite a big kick out of his show back in the day.)

I love the last photo - especially the dancing cats. Oh, My God, I've fallen into the internet cat thing, and I'll never get up again. Or something like that.

MunirGhiasuddin said...

I still have to learn a lot about American culture. Thanks to my blogger friends I am learning bit by bit and I think even if I learn and retain what ever I learn I will consider myself lucky.
Your posts are always enlightening.
Now I will learn about Mr. Graham Kerr.

Austan said...

Susan, I just love Graham. I'll be riding the wave of that for a while. :)
Haha! That tomato plant story! The best tomatoes I ever grew (or ate) were growing in a garbage heap I'd made when I lived in Nowhere, PA. The combo of compostables and burnt trash (yes we burned our trash in barrels there) made for some giant plants with huge beefsteak beauties!

Austan said...

Geo.! Graham has to be at least 200. I'm 85, so yeah, 200 sounds right.
I hope they've put her somewhere under observance. It's not everyone can kick the cats out of someone. That ought to be studied.

Austan said...

Thank you, EC. It wasn't an easy column to write but I was talking to my MyrtleBeachSisInLaw and it was what was on my mind. It also got the son of a fellow Hobbiton resident to think about Mom, which is good.
You post flower pix when we're in bleak midWinter so I aim to do the same for you. :)
Peaceful weekend to you dear.

Austan said...

Lawless- Your Dad had good taste (but we knew that)! That's just it- I never wrote to Julia Child, and having come across an article about what he's been up to lately, I thought, "Put a fire under it." Not only because any of us can be gone in a heartbeat, but because I want him to know how much he influenced others.

Austan said...

Stevil, I sent you the whole thing in an email- did you not get it? I also sent you the July 4th emails and haven't heard back...are you not getting yr emails?

Yes, when you began posting Grumpy Cat I ordered a Mass card. But I'm afraid it was too late.

sdt (a.k.a. stevil) said...

Austan - Yes, and it left e with a silly grin that went from ear to ear I was so happy for you. I've just been overloaded with too much stuff to do and didn't get back to you. My apologies. So I answered here when I saw your post. I got the 4th of July emails, too. But I'm lost on the Mass card reference. It can't be for my services, Methodists don't do Mass. Mass insurance card for when I beat my head against the computer in shame over the cat thing?

Austan said...

Munir- We are as regionally different as all of Europe, just all in one nation.
Thank you.
Mr. Kerr is a darling man. I'm glad to introduce you.

Austan said...

Stevil- ok, just checking. If you won't "do" Mass you better lose your avatar. In those days you were Catholic or kindling.

klahanie said...

Hi Laura,

Yes I know. Sorry about the lateness of one of my highly collectable comments :)

Nice rose. You're upbeat and that's very positive.

Ah yes, nice one by the "Galloping Gourmet. You do realise he's one of your adoring fans.

Black Sabbath 13 can be heard in full on a certain video site you mentioned. Of course, I never mentioned that! :)

Happy summer. We have the heating back on in Britain. Good grief.

Gary
x

Austan said...

Gary!
I'd love it if Graham were one of "my adoring fans"! hahahah!

Oh thanks for the Sabbath tip... What tip? I didn't see any tip!

I don't know what's worse, a hot summer or a cold one. Certainly the wet one is the worst. Though wet ones usually are the worst. :)

Stay warm and dry,
Laura
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