There are more than just bananas in there...
The season is winding down at the farmers market. Fewer tomatoes, more sweet potatoes. That’s the nature of things, circle of life and all that. Pretty sure that it’s all covered in the most overplayed track in Ecclesiastes. Still there is bounty left, so we grabbed some end of season cucumbers and harvested some mint from our own garden for an end of summer cocktail. Please join me now as we stand and make, The Botanist.
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We’ve made it to the last day of summer 2020. The year that just keeps on giving, or is it taking away? Some times it is hard to tell. They say you should make hay while the sun is shining. I guess that means you should take advantage of good times to store up things for the bad times to come. In my experience, actually making hay, usually involves a lot of looking to the horizon, watching for the storm clouds which seem to come, inevitably, once you get the hay on the ground. Well, I don’t have hay, but I do have lavender, so I guess I’ll make soothing beverages while the lavender is plenty. Won’t you join me now as we stand and make the aptly named, Aromatherapy.
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I am a sucker for almost anything made with earl grey tea. Like Captain Picard, I’ll have my Earl Grey, hot; or iced or lukewarm for that matter, with a little lemon, please. Earl Grey marshmallows? Yep. Macarons? Absolutely. Chocolate? I said yes already, to all the things. You want to make some macaroni with earl grey tea and throw some cheese in? I’ll try it. So, when I saw this recipe I immediately moved it into the “have to try” file. So, pinkies up, as we stand and make The Grey Fizz.
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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a monkey in possession of a fine teacup must be in want of a drink. Pretty sure Jane Austen said something like that in one of her early drafts. Mommy Dearest suggested I use one of these prewar beauties for another chapter in our saga of teacup cocktails and what could a loving son do but oblige her. So please, join me now as we stand and make the Earl Grey MarTeani.
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Managing expectations is hard. I don’t know how often I have gotten all excited for something and then been disappointed. How many times I have not even been able to remember why I wanted something in the first place, when I finally got it. You know how it is, you wait months and months for that movie to come out or for the next season of a show and when it arrives, it is definitely not all that. I kind of feel that way about todays drink. When I see it on a menu I often order it, only to be mildly disappointed and remember that it is always the same, but I persevere, thinking that some day I will finally find the perfect one, even if I have to make it myself. So, please, won’t you join me now as we make the classic Aviation.
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Lyle Lovett says “it ought to be easier,” he’s right, of course. That’s how it goes sometimes, easy tasks end up complicated and things you dread turn out all right. The thing is things are rarely as you expect them to be, so there’s no point in worrying about them. Trust me on this and please join me now as we stand and make the Bluebird.
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In these unprecedented times, my usual role as a captain of industry has expanded. I also find myself the bus driver, lunch monitor, docent, principal and sometimes teacher in our one room schoolhouse in my office. Liam had been a virtual student since day one this year. This meant he was already totally accustomed to online learning when the rest of his school was forced to join him just three weeks later. I lost my bet on how long it would take for his school to shut down, I figured they’d make it two more weeks. Of course, the outbreak of Covid-19 only shut the doors of the school temporarily, allegedly. Either way, since everyone has spent the better part of this week trying to learn the technology and his role has mostly been to help others, he’s been on Easy Street. So won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Easy Street Fizz.
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Late summer is such a wonderful time. It is not my favorite, I’m a fall guy, but I do love it. Cooler nights, a bit of crispness in the morning air. The end of the harvest coming on. There are still tomatoes on the vine, but fewer. You can feel things winding down, which is when the sunflowers take the stage. That may or may not be true, but I saw some beautiful sunflowers on the side of the road today, so we are going with it. Won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Sunflower.
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Summer hasn’t given up yet, but you can feel things beginning to change. A little crispness to the air at sunrise. A few leaves drying out and floating on the breeze as another summer storm blows in. I’m trying to make sure I don’t miss things this year. You’ll see what I mean if you will join me as we stand and make the Gin Basil Smash.
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It is Sunday afternoon again, what Douglas Adams called the “long, dark teatime of the soul”. I really should be mowing the lawn, being productive, working on that novel, etc. but my heart just isn’t in it. Let’s make a drink instead! Please, join me now as we stand and make, The Written Word.
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