AUG’ 20

15

Earlier this morning, I put together a zucchini, spring onion, tomato and herbed goat cheese frittata. The zucchini and tomatoes came from our garden. The spring onions from our CSA share. While it baked in the oven, we went outside as a family to work in the garden. Gosh, it's been so hot these days but the mornings are all the more incredible by contrast. Davis sprayed our cherry tree and grapevines with neem oil- we're trying to contain a powdery mildew situation on the cherry tree and Japanese beetles on the grapevines. Meanwhile, I deadheaded our flower beds and cut the foliage back to encourage more flowering and new green growth. Willa helped point out which flowers needed to be cut back. There's more to be done. But, I'll save it for another morning.

The frittata was accompanied by mixed berries, iced coffees for adults and a milk for Willa, and leftover Palets Breton- a buttery, hockey puck-shaped cookie. Now, here I am, writing. Willa is out on an adventure with the twins next door. They packed a basket with a blanket, books, water bottles, and snacks and took it all down to the cemetery at the bottom of our street. So, Davis and I are having a luxuriously quiet morning. Tapping away on our keyboards. In peace.

I have loved watching the kids on the block adapt to being school-less. They've become wonderfully co-independent. From the oldest to the youngest, they take very seriously the development and regulation of their play. The young ones are learning to play by the group's rules. The older ones are learning how to bring the young ones along in their play. There is nothing keener than a child's sense of justice. They're having so much fun together but they're also learning so MUCH. I know the pandemic has brought with it complex challenges and real suffering but I would argue that the silver linings are also there and they are real and powerful. 

Willa started back at preschool this week. I didn't realize how much she missed it until I saw how joyful her return has been. It has also been good for us parents. I have regular time to workout again and Davis and I have lunch together- the closest thing to a date that we've had in a good long while. Sometimes, we even workout together when he gets back from dropping her off at school. I didn't know that I missed having this kind of time together.

The anti-racism bake sale continues. I am learning so much through it. This month's organization, by the way, is The Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund for Black Women and Girls. This non-profit organization subsidizes therapy sessions for Black women and girls and gives them access to a network of high-quality, culturally competent therapists nationwide.

I recently started reading The Cooking Gene: A Journey through African American Culinary History in the Old South. The writing is superb- I mean it. Michael Twitty, the author, knows food and shares his history and the history of Black Americans from this unique perspective. It is about food and cooking but also about so much more than that. The writing isn't just informative, but artful. His reflections on identity and cooking from an identity are real food for thought. I highly recommend it.