Dog days of Summer

Boy, has it been HOT! Our heat index yesterday was 100+...very unusual for New England. This is our 4th heat-wave of the summer (a heat wave is 3 or more successive days of 90+ temps). Thank goodness for AC in my computer/sewing room.

On Friday, Adriana, Sabrina, Chris and I went to the Brookfield, CT agricultural fair. I really enjoyed roaming the avenues of exhibits of animals and other 4-H projects...deja vu to my youth.

During these steamy days, I often think of my mother and grandmother canning 400-500 quarts of vegetables and fruits every summer. In the 40s there was no AC, garden produced in abundance and the harvest had to be preserved for winter. They filled the cellar shelves every summer. Grocery stores didn't carry the now familiar array of fresh fruits and vegetables during winter months, any such delicacy had to be prepared at home during the summer. Another way of preserving was to sun-dry...fruits, not vegetables. Slices of apples, plums and pears were laid out on cheese-cloth covered oilcloth table cloth for a couple of days, then placed into a dry canning jar. I remember doing this a couple of times, but I don't think it was a common practice. Another dry item in canning jars was sea-weed, collected at Duxbury beach during the summer, dried in the sun, and stored for a delicious winter pudding. Does anyone remember this?

Today a gathering of friends and families will converge on Pat Petteruti's house to send Isak off to college. He leaves on Tuesday.

The coffee shop construction is progressing nicely. I'm planning to post pictures of the main room as it develops. Here you can view the service counter from the front door. To the left will be a narrow aisle with computer hook-ups (outlets), office supplies, desk-like counter space and comfortable chairs. David hopes that this will entice the folks coming in to do online business to use the quiet corner of the shop for their daily work. That will leave the rest of the room for the chattering customers to enjoy their coffee and friends.

Copper counter tops are due to be installed this week. Stay tuned.