Mersydotes

Summertime.  Locusts, fireflies, corn fields.  It has a certain magic.  A season with clear edges, challenging you to take advantage of every last moment.  We'll miss the sunshine, and the warmth, the birdsong, and the  foliage, but they're here now for the taking.   And for me, summer also means choosing a theme.  I'm not sure how it started, but for a long time, I've chosen an overarching theme for my summer reading- once, it was happiness, once the grand classics of Russian literature (yes- that was a reallllllly depressing summer!), and this year it's Japan.  I've never gone into it with a theme already picked out, but once summer hits, I start "chain-reading", starting with one book, then reading another that was somehow mentioned or alluded to in the first or stumbled upon in the same section.  It's taken me on some pretty fun and rambling trips.  And then, when summer is drawing to a close, I can ...

Isn't it nice to have your faith in people restored from time to time?  To be forced to accept that humbling feeling that overwhelms you when someone does something truly kind?  That's exactly what happened recently at my knitting night.  On Thursdays, I meet with the warmest, most joyful group of knitters and crocheters that you could ever meet- I love them dearly!  One of group had heard that my grandmother, who taught me to crochet when I was wee, was no longer living independently.  A few weeks later, my friend came to our knitting night with a gorgeous package of vintage doilies that she had been collecting, little by little, and said that she wanted me to send them to my grandmother, to brighter her days. And wow!  Was my Grandma thrilled!  A few days later I got a call from her, and she was already planning out how to use each one to best effect.  And what makes this an even more poignant story is that just a few days...

Over the past few pre-summer months, we've taken some lovely day trips that have each had their own striking color pallet.  Take, for example, our outing to the Jersey Shore where the sun and the wind seemed to swirl everything into a medley of blue: Or our trip to the local iris gardens, right at the peak of their blooms: And the farmer's market we take a wander through once a week to see what is ripe: Ooohhhh...and I don't want to forget our quick dash back to Illinois right as the chill was leaving the air, and the sun was making its self known, a little more each day: All of this has made Mr. Mersy and I feel like we are awash with color.  One of the best things about no longer living in Queens is that seasonal change comes with the fresh air and space to enjoy it.  We were always amazed by the number of spring bulbs the supers planted around the apartment buildings, but the tulips and daffodils were invariably stolen...

Warming spices...cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom.  Isn't it funny how they all start with a "C"?  Anyway, the other day I saw a post from Bon Appetit on Instagram about how to make caramelized cinnamon toast, and it reminded me of the piping hot cinnamon sugar donuts my mom made in the eternal autumn that was my childhood.   On cold, gray days, she would take cake donuts, split them in half, add butter, and then sprinkle each half with cinnamon and sugar.  It was always my job to mix the cinnamon and the sugar, and I loved stirring the mixture in a little bowl, watching the two colors swirling together with every turn of the spoon.  They would come out of the broiler piping hot, with the sugar caramelized and crisp.  The very best, warming treat! The video from Bon Appetit combined everything together with the butter and prepared toast this way on a hot griddle, which is perfect for Mr. Mersy, since it means we can make the toast...

Happy Monday, one and all! It's getting to be that time of the winter when everything is steel gray, and it's hard to remember what it's like to go outside and have the air greet you gently.  And added to that, it can also be hard to get out and about in a new town filled with strangers.  How do you know where to go to make friends and find your niche?  Spaces outside of ordinary life with good folks to talk to? Luckily, two of my friends are much braver than I am, and they encouraged me to be brave last week and join them on an excursion to the local knitting group.  And guess what?!  It was great!  The folks there were friendly and nice and talkative- knitters and crocheters and sewers.  One of the group has even begun dying wool in his kitchen, with beautiful results.  The colors made me think of spring. Everyone was working on something beautiful- scarves and blankets and hats and sweaters.  If som...