Drop It Like It's Hot As Hades.

Idiom Def: If something's as Hot as Hades, it's extremely hot.

St. Paul Street. Hot as Hades.

Yeaaaaa....definitely doesn't do this week's record highs any justice. Opening the door to check the mail at work today was like leaping into a massive, steam-charged, clear flame the size of Baltimore. Cars and buses zooming passed on St. Paul Street create this heat-wind that's hot enough to take your breath away --- in a bad way. It's just too hot.

Luckily, I work at a dream job right now and will be able to "enjoy" tomorrow's sweltering 105 (without heat index, mind you) at the pool --- THANK BABY JESUS FOR SUMMER FRIDAYS! Laying out in code orange is probably a bad idea but that water is so enticing. I think I should get me some snorkel gear or scuba even! That way, I don't have to come up out of the water for long periods of time, like a suburban, blond manatee of sorts, escaping the Summer blaze. GENIUS.

Neighbors might think something's wrong with me, but it's time they know the truth. Not until I bust out my dance moves mid-scuba to the current song playing, will they FULLY know.

I recall growing up in Stoneleigh, the Norman Rockwell setting of Towson, MD, on the hottest of hottest days every kid in the neighborhood it seemed, had a lemonade stand...a candy stand....a lemonade AND candy stand....an "anything-and-everything I can sell" stand. Each block would be freckled with these cuties pies, which at some time, circa 1991, were the likes of me and my 4 crazy sibs ready to wrestle you down for your $.50 and barter with you to get our "one day only 3 for $3 deal", which makes ZERO sense since one cup was $.50. There aren't any mathematicians amongst my sibs, clearly --- only salesmen, brokers, ad execs, lawyers...and a teacher -- and that teacher, SHE was the worst of us all! (PROOF: I thought that a nickel was worth more than a dime for the first 10 years of my life because of her! SIZE DOES NOT DETERMINE THE VALUE OF THE CURRENCY, SARAH)! I just hope she doesn't teach her students this nonsense ;)

I digress....

On these too-hot-to-do-anything August days in Baltimore, I recall my step dad, Henry, pulling up from a long day at work with 5 or 6 cups of the sweetest (or most watered-down) lemonade you've ever tasted. He be balancing 5 on his briefcase and 1 between his jaws, walking up the back stairs to the house. "I couldn't just stop at one stand!" He'd proclaim, as he dumped each cup of yellow syrup or pink 'water' (depending on the stand and how much Country Time was allotted for that day's product), down the sink. "Have to support these young entrepreneurs, you know!! They're the future of our fine country!"

Too cute.

Stay cool, ya'll. I'm off to find my scuba gear for tomorrow's dive ... and choreograph my pool-side dance exhibition to our blog song of the day, Drop It Like It's Hot (which btw, my hubslice thought was "Drop it like it's HARD" until about 1 week ago...I know...I was just as shocked. He's sheltered and clearly doesn't know what truly good music is all about.)

XOXO
-ERSM

MISSING: Potted pink, purple and white petunia! (& some zen-monk words of wisdom.)

OK first off - WHO STEALS FLOWERS FROM A PORCH!!!??? Really pisses me off. And you KNOW it's not an adult who just wanted their own pot of beautifully pruned petunias. No, no. If that were the case, I honestly wouldn't be this irate or breathing fire. If they were currently hanging from someone else's covered porch or shepherd hook, with fresh water and dead blooms pinched, I'd be....perplexed more so than red-faced mad. But no, I guarantee they are laying face down in some gutter or dumpster all because a 15 year old, out too late on a Summer night, thought it was funny or was dared to go up to my porch, open the gate, take it off the chain and run. Well, they better run. Because if I catch them attempting this HILARIOUS feat again, they're gonna have a shepherd's hook in a place they might not think is so amusing. 


Secondly, and very, very different, I read this nice little line of ancient knowledge this morning and thought it was truly sound and beautiful. Take a read and let it resonate wherever it does within you....  


"Many paths lead from the foot of the mountain, but at the peak we all gaze at the single bright moon."
Ikkyu - Zen-monk poet, 1394-1481


Happy Wednesday, all, & enjoy the day (except you little bastards who yanked my 'tunias! You'll get yours.... DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN).

Country roads....

....take me home ... to the place ... I belong.

Shenandoah Valley Sunset. 7-9-11.

This weekend we drove down route 340 into Virginia for some camping in the Shenandoah Valley. What a beautiful drive. 81S was the other option, but the right decision was made and we enjoyed the 'scenic' route through Main Street stop lights in tiny country towns, a Harpers Ferry drive-by, hundreds of vast farms with red tin roofs & silos, smoking road-side BBQ stands and, of course, J's fave --- DINOSAUR LAND! No, we didn't stop. He was grumpy but soon got over it.

Entering VA. Gotta get a shot.

Entering WVa...

J's Happy Place.

Do you have a place that brings your heart a sense of peace and calm when you're there? Do you have a place that brings that sense simply with a thought passing through your mind, or a glance at a picture? I do. Take a look at the first pic above. It requires few words to explain it, mainly because it's hard to even try. Mountains, as I've grown older, bring incredible grounding to my soul. That's all I can say...

Tourist-maximist.

Why don't we live there you ask? Maybe one day we will, when life can return to some level of simplicity and I can convince J. For now, Baltimore holds our address (& our love) on a day-to-day. But the mountains are always on my mind and I look forward to every opportunity to head South...toward the Blue Ridge.

XOXO
-ERSM

A Garden Update.

Things are REALLY looking good so far this veggie season. Just a quick update on our tastings....

After the "Fall of the Broccoli" (a well-documented piece of history in our book now), we had a grieving period followed by supreme pride & elation in our Lettuce! It's like it KNEW we were in mourning and gave us a little something to smile about. Thank you, Baby Romaine. We've enjoyed the fruits of your labor for over a month now, and there's no end in site to be seen!

Tomatos --- looking STRONG. Babies on there just growing away. New members every day! We even had to extend the steak in the Cherry Tom because it had a serious growth spurt over the last week or so. I'm a proud Mommy. Beef Steak is right behind Cherry --- a close race at this point. Soon we'll enjoy Baby Romaine w/ some Cherry Tom accompaniments.  Followed closely by my all time fave -  Beef Steak Tomato sammies. Mmmmm. Slice of deli American, tiny bit of mayo, salt and pepper...in between two pieces of soft Wheat. It's the taste of Summer.

And finally, the peppers. Got some blossoms coming in now. Looking like the Sweet Banana will beat out the Green Bell in this race to yield. Fine by me because I'm trying to make some homemade banana pepper pizzas on the grill! NOMS. I'd say in the next 2 weeks, we'll be pepper-eatin' fools (and by 'we' I mean ME because J is a picky-ass eater). So, I might need to recruit some fellow pepper-lovers to join in my feasting. Any takers? Going once!!!!

Enjoy the day, all.

XOXO
ERSM

Seasonal Tasting To Share.

Def. of NOMS = Good Looking Food.

One of my very favorite times of year to try new recipes and cook delicious at-home meals is, yes, you guessed it...SUMMER! Everything is fresh. Everything makes my parched mouth water. Full plates are so pretty to look at (ref. right pic), even if it is 'all going to the same place'. NOMS.

I love Summer cooking for many reasons, the main one being the heat source. Grilling has got to be one of our favorite past times April through October (we even get into off-season grilling -- it's warm in front of that propane!!). Food prep outside cuts back on dishes, BGE bills, excess heat from the oven on these scorchers of days, which only make the AC work harder and consequently take a big not-so-tasty bite out of our bank account. The food also just plain tastes better grilled if you ask me.

Perfect example for ya'll to feast your eyes on. Here:

Grilled Tilapia w/ Homemade Mango Salsa & Red Quinoa (or "oa" as J calls it for short -- phonetically that's "wahh")

This was din din last night. So delicious. The mango salsa prep was the hardest part and that was a breeze in itself, and FUN if you're as into veggie and fruit chopping as I am (again, a fave past time of mine. Should have been a prep-chef....hmmmm...possible career shift?). I've posted this recipe here, because it's THAT good and everyone needs to give it a whirl. Any fish you like would work great --- salmon, catfish, seared tuna. I was drooling over the Chilean Sea Bass at Whole Foods yesterday but made the responsible decision to stick with Tilapia. $24.99/lb vs. $9.99/lb. The choice was obvious, but still tough, given my undying love for Sea Bass. Mmmmmm Sea Bass.

So, GET OUT THERE ON YOUR GRILL and start enjoying the season for more than just sunbathing and day drinking, people!!!

 P.S. SUMMER TOES!

Summer Toes. Can't remember the name, so Summer Toes will do.

P.P.S. Dia Frampton is playing right now. She rules. I know many people hate The Voice, but I'm slightly obsessed and it's mainly because of Dia herself. Thanks, Dia.

Pics to prove it.

Due to my strange out-of-the-blue post-lunch Monday headache, I'm simply posting pictures to prove how freaking awesome my (purple, then grey, tanktop-wearing) husbot & (really handy & not to mention good sport) Daddy are. They did THIS on Saturday. In this order. All day Saturday. And it looks amazing. We literally stare at it for hours. Set up chairs & fill our cups like we're attending a summer concert. 

Professional landscapers, apparently. Who knew?!

Evidently, Jeremy dreamt about this project & design on Friday night. And then just....did it the next day. The question is  --- was he wearing the purple tank top in the dream, too? It's a critical detail.

Scoping the design.

More Scope-age.

Expanding the bed.

Digging the "mote".

Sand to level the 'mote'.

Before the flagstone laying began.

Tanktop change & strategic flagstone application.

Is the circle perfectly placed?

Almost done! Only mulch left.

Mulched!! Proud mens.

Great work. Now if my hydrangeas would just appreciate a little of this effort and give me a damn blossom or two!

Summer Nostalgia.

Once again, I was inspired by my girl Kelle Hampton. When June rolls around & the sun gets hotter, I am overtaken with nostalgic feelings of Junes that came before. Finishing up finals... the last couple nights of the end of Spring Semester celebration winding down...one last Bagel Place run before packing up my blue Geo Prism (donned in Saves the Day & Taking Back Sunday stickers) and heading home from College Park to Baltimore for the summer. Driving up 95, windows down (clearly no AC in that hunk 'a junk), sticking to the seats with sweat containing last night's party remnants, in cahoots with my best gals & guys making plans for the first night home. Souris? The Kent? Those were the biggest decisions on our plates --- that along with what to wear & if we'd straighten our hair that night or not. ;)

Rough lives.

Days were filled with 8 hours of nannying poolside -- best tan of my LIFE. Followed by free meals at home, and again, the big decisions - What to wear? Hair straightened? And if it was Wednesday, what time we'd meet at The Crease for ladies night ice picks?

I practically wore my bathing suit for 40 plus hours a week during those months -- my uniform. Main goal each summer?  How tan can we get and how blond can we be....wait that still exists...just with Bronzed Bombshell spray tan and frequent highlight appointments at Grapevine Hair Studio ;)

There were no mortgages, grad school classes, stressful jobs, friends moving overseas, engagements, pregnancies, marriages...just SMU's newest suit line, Banana Boat & Sun-In, Rita's Italian Ice (Mango was my go-to), cheep booze and crusin' in "Patty the Party-Mobile Prism" to the next stop, all the while listening to the latest rap compilation CD specially made for that night and that night only.

So, things obviously have changed & change is good. But I will forever and always be envious of the girls I see in their bathing suits & VS cover-ups, freshly sun-kissed from a long, hard day at the pool, shopping at Loehmann's for that evening's discount attire.

Those are some of my favorite days logged. Can't get them back, that's for sure, but won't forget them either.

Happy June, ya'll. And if you're one of those 21 year olds leaving your Junior year, headed home for your last freedom summer, PLEASE soak it up. Soak it up for those of us who can't any longer & would kill for those days! Plus, you only have one more left before the "real world" slaps you right in the face!

XOXO
-ERSM