The Dog Days
This morning, standing in my kitchen, I experienced one of the most intense feelings of satisfaction that I've felt in a while. I took a moment to literally be 'in the moment' and appreciate the emotion.
It was very nice.
The head to toe feeling came out of the blue. Nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. The boys were outside playing; Beau had just finished crawling into my lap as I sat in the lounge chair, reading the Sunday paper, to tell me how much he loves donut holes. Naturally, it was sunny--blazingly sunny in a flawless sky. Hank, who this summer has pretty much decided that after 11 years of being chased and cajoled back into the yard when he unintentionally got out, it's just as good to stick around in the yard, had half heartedly given chase after a cottontailed bunny who bounded across the lawn into the brushy area at the rear of our lot. He didn't give chase for long, returning with an expression on his face that more or less said, "Meh."(Hank did dump out a couple bunny nests in the garden this summer. Fortunately he had no interest in devouring the critters, unlike our previous beagle who chomped down those baby bunnies in a frenzy.) I had wandered through the garden after yesterday's rain and feel fairly well satisfied with how everything is turning out this summer, save the tomatoes which got off to a fast start and are now looking relatively miserable although there will be enough tomatoes to provide fresh picked deliciousness for the next couple weeks.
What I'm glad about is that I took the moment to enjoy the moment. Staying in the moment is frequently recommended as a way to make good decisions, as a stress management technique, too.
Often it's difficult to appreciate the moments when the Dog Days hit because, I think, we're caught in the cycle of endings and beginnings. As soon as the 4th of July was over, stores poured out the Back to School wares. Anything that smacked of summer was put on CLEARANCE. Hurry up, it seemed to say to me, you better enjoy these Dog Days because the next thing you know, there will be snow. (Now, in Minnesota there's a certain ring of truth to that...)
As a child, I remember that my mom was reticent to let me go to the local outdoor pool (at Riis Park for you Chicago readers) in August, even when the weather was hot. She said there was a chill in the air and she feared I would get sick. (I had chronic tonsillitis until said tonsils were removed at age 19, which is a story unto itself.) Of course I thought she was crazy--it was hot out! We were sweating, which was why we wanted to go swimming! What did she mean, a chill in the air?
Do you ever feel it, in August? The chill that tells you the cycle is here, the end and the beginning?
As an educator, you might have well rung a loud gong in teachers' and school staffs' ears on August 1 that reverberated: "It's over! You're back! Get ready!" I'll be teaching Road Next Taken classes around the Twin Cities this fall, so I'm experiencing just a smidge of that feeling in the pit of your stomach emotion. All summer I've told myself that I will be redoing my presentations, adding just not quite yet. It's the ending of just not quite yet and the beginning of when you're thinking about how you want to make a change, you better write it down because those classes start pretty darn soon.
I love the way the air hangs during the Dog Days. especially when it's drenched with humidity. Its solidness is broken by cicadas' buzz, a lulling sound for sleep while the windows can still be open and the comforter not returned to the bed.
Don't rush the Dog Days. Stay in the moments that come to you, unexpectedly, out of the blue. Don't dissect them. Breathe them in. Let them settle and when you're ready, return the sense of satisfaction to the universe, carried on the (soon to be chilling) breezes of the Dog Days,
Cooking: Zucchini Chips
If you have a garden and you planted zucchini, you are probably wondering why you did so. If you don't have a garden and friends/family/neighbors do and they planted zucchini, you are probably wondering why they did so.
The following is an easily done recipe and one that kids will enjoy.
As much fresh zucchini as you want to cut up, cut into thin slices
2-3 T olive oil (may need more depending on the amount of zucchini you have)
1/2-1 c bread crumbs
1/4 c shaved Parmesan (or Romano/Asiago/blend)
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Put the olive oil in a shallow bowl.
4. Mix the bread crumbs and cheese. You can add any fresh herbs from your garden, also salt and pepper if you want.
5. First toss the zucchini in the olive oil, then in the bread crumb mixture.
6. Lay the chips on the lined baking sheets so they are touching but not overlapping.
7. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. The thinner they are, the quicker the edges will brown. If the zucchini chips are thicker, you will need to bake them longer.
A very nice appetizer on a Dog Day evening, sitting outdoors with the adult beverage of your choice.
It was very nice.
The head to toe feeling came out of the blue. Nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. The boys were outside playing; Beau had just finished crawling into my lap as I sat in the lounge chair, reading the Sunday paper, to tell me how much he loves donut holes. Naturally, it was sunny--blazingly sunny in a flawless sky. Hank, who this summer has pretty much decided that after 11 years of being chased and cajoled back into the yard when he unintentionally got out, it's just as good to stick around in the yard, had half heartedly given chase after a cottontailed bunny who bounded across the lawn into the brushy area at the rear of our lot. He didn't give chase for long, returning with an expression on his face that more or less said, "Meh."(Hank did dump out a couple bunny nests in the garden this summer. Fortunately he had no interest in devouring the critters, unlike our previous beagle who chomped down those baby bunnies in a frenzy.) I had wandered through the garden after yesterday's rain and feel fairly well satisfied with how everything is turning out this summer, save the tomatoes which got off to a fast start and are now looking relatively miserable although there will be enough tomatoes to provide fresh picked deliciousness for the next couple weeks.
What I'm glad about is that I took the moment to enjoy the moment. Staying in the moment is frequently recommended as a way to make good decisions, as a stress management technique, too.
Often it's difficult to appreciate the moments when the Dog Days hit because, I think, we're caught in the cycle of endings and beginnings. As soon as the 4th of July was over, stores poured out the Back to School wares. Anything that smacked of summer was put on CLEARANCE. Hurry up, it seemed to say to me, you better enjoy these Dog Days because the next thing you know, there will be snow. (Now, in Minnesota there's a certain ring of truth to that...)
As a child, I remember that my mom was reticent to let me go to the local outdoor pool (at Riis Park for you Chicago readers) in August, even when the weather was hot. She said there was a chill in the air and she feared I would get sick. (I had chronic tonsillitis until said tonsils were removed at age 19, which is a story unto itself.) Of course I thought she was crazy--it was hot out! We were sweating, which was why we wanted to go swimming! What did she mean, a chill in the air?
Do you ever feel it, in August? The chill that tells you the cycle is here, the end and the beginning?
As an educator, you might have well rung a loud gong in teachers' and school staffs' ears on August 1 that reverberated: "It's over! You're back! Get ready!" I'll be teaching Road Next Taken classes around the Twin Cities this fall, so I'm experiencing just a smidge of that feeling in the pit of your stomach emotion. All summer I've told myself that I will be redoing my presentations, adding just not quite yet. It's the ending of just not quite yet and the beginning of when you're thinking about how you want to make a change, you better write it down because those classes start pretty darn soon.
I love the way the air hangs during the Dog Days. especially when it's drenched with humidity. Its solidness is broken by cicadas' buzz, a lulling sound for sleep while the windows can still be open and the comforter not returned to the bed.
Don't rush the Dog Days. Stay in the moments that come to you, unexpectedly, out of the blue. Don't dissect them. Breathe them in. Let them settle and when you're ready, return the sense of satisfaction to the universe, carried on the (soon to be chilling) breezes of the Dog Days,
Cooking: Zucchini Chips
If you have a garden and you planted zucchini, you are probably wondering why you did so. If you don't have a garden and friends/family/neighbors do and they planted zucchini, you are probably wondering why they did so.
The following is an easily done recipe and one that kids will enjoy.
As much fresh zucchini as you want to cut up, cut into thin slices
2-3 T olive oil (may need more depending on the amount of zucchini you have)
1/2-1 c bread crumbs
1/4 c shaved Parmesan (or Romano/Asiago/blend)
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line baking/cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Put the olive oil in a shallow bowl.
4. Mix the bread crumbs and cheese. You can add any fresh herbs from your garden, also salt and pepper if you want.
5. First toss the zucchini in the olive oil, then in the bread crumb mixture.
6. Lay the chips on the lined baking sheets so they are touching but not overlapping.
7. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. The thinner they are, the quicker the edges will brown. If the zucchini chips are thicker, you will need to bake them longer.
A very nice appetizer on a Dog Day evening, sitting outdoors with the adult beverage of your choice.
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