Hey there, friends, and…is it happy? Are we happy July? This year has done a number on all of us, but it has also stirred up some deep discussions, a lot of introspection, and some serious thinking about life and the universe, so it doesn’t quite feel right to bounce back into “happy July” but…are we better? I think so. I think it’s okay to say that we’re going through a bit of national catharsis, and we’re better. Or at least heading in that direction.
People aren’t content with talk and platitudes anymore, and I’m proud to say that I’ve been a part of a number of changes in my Army workplace. The nice thing about being a systems thinker when someone identifies a systemic problem is that you know how to break the thing apart and look at all the contributing factors and interactions and see what’s broken.
Because there are broken things in our system, and not just broken. Things we need to break, because they were put there for just plain evil reasons. And maybe to some it feels like we’re breaking more than building, but sometimes when a bone comes together in a nasty way, you have to rebreak it and let it heal all over again to get it working right. Again, catharsis.
So here we are, July. And this is where it finds my little family.
1. Our beautiful mild spring has become a beautiful mild summer! My garden is going absolutely crazy – my plants are enormous right now – and everything is blooming beautifully! We’ve had some warm days but nothing too obnoxious and there have only been a couple of humid ones. And we’ve enjoyed plenty of time hanging out on our back deck and enjoying the yard – and cooling off our feet in little man’s splash pad!
2. This is both good news and bad news, but in a lot of ways, it’s a relief to finally know and be able to act. My husband has struggled with acid reflux forever, but nothing the doctors ever prescribed him seemed to help when his stomach got seriously upset. He would take the medicine and be more miserable than ever, and he was able to eat next to nothing until it subsided.
We studiously avoided everything that the doctors and various websites said would trigger acid reflux, and still, nothing seemed to help. And the attacks seemed to be completely random. So, curious, while we were home on quarantine, I started keeping meticulous track of what he ate.
The meticulous tracking wasn’t needed after all, though, because whenever he had serious heartburn, I asked him what he’d eaten, and the answer was usually, “I didn’t eat anything bad, I just had a little chocolate milk” or “I just had some ice cream and…”
Yeah, he’s lactose intolerant, and never knew it. And none of the doctors who saw him looked at that as a trigger. It turns out that the gassiness and stomach irritation that lactose can produce can also trigger acid reflux – which is why the medicine prescribed to him just made it worse.
He loves cheese and misses it, but at the same time, we’re so happy we’ve finally figured out what was happening with his stomach and have been able to address it. He hasn’t had an issue since. And Marcus and I are enjoying getting his extra share of cheese.
3. I don’t have a lot of TV time available in my schedule, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be making some time in there for Martha Knows Best.
4. I’ve got a question for you all – if you could travel anywhere this summer, where would it be?
My absolute dream is to someday spend a couple of weeks on a working vineyard in Italy, in either Tuscany or Veneto. I would love to bring my family into the warm Italian sun, sip Chianti or Prosecco, learn about the grapes and the wine and the process, roll up our sleeves and cook, and end the day sipping wine and eating delicious food around a long and full table. Someday.
5. I’d love to tell you what recipes I have for July. I’d love to tell you that there’s some rhyme and reason to what I’m going to publish here, that there are themes and that there is organization. But honestly, while I usually do have a pretty good plan and I do write most of my posts a week or two ahead of when they show up, you honestly get whatever stirs my fancy at the moment.
And whatever’s fresh in my garden. A couple of the posts I had in mind for this month got preempted when my garden started producing a ton of ripe cucumbers and beautiful green beans and delicious fresh tomatoes! They were just too good to wait on!
6. If you had told me a few months ago, I would have to spend the next 100-some-odd days as a full time employee and a full time parent, I think I would have a panic attack. However, we’ve gotten into a great rhythm at home and I absolutely love having my little dude around to tickle and snuggle whenever I have enough of a work break.
He’s been a trooper through it all, too! I know he misses his friends from daycare {or Baby School, as we’ve always called it} but he’s putting up with us, even though there are plenty of times he still gets exasperated with us for not knowing the words or the right hand motions to some of his favorite songs. He’s not even two yet, and he already thinks his parents are lame.
And holy crap, people, he’s going to be two this month!
7. If you haven’t already visited my Cookies ‘n’ Cream Blondies, I think you need to head on over and take a peek at this recipe. It’s been getting a lot of love and I’m glad that I’m not the only one who loves indulging in those decadent little sandwich cookies every now and then!
8. What’s for dinner tonight? It’s peach season, baby, and I’m making all the grilled and baked peach goodies I can right now, including this delicious grilled peach salad with burrata and Balsamic drizzle! I’ve started adding in some chopped grilled chicken and grilled corn for extra heartiness, and this salad makes a perfect fresh summertime meal!
9. I’m saving this here because I just read it in a comment on Half Baked Harvest and I’m suddenly dying to make it. Ploughman’s Salad – baby jem lettuce, toasted walnuts, focaccia croutons, apples, vintage cheddar, tomatoes, and all tossed in a tomato chutney and grain mustard vinaigrette. How awesome does this sound for a summer lunch, folks?
Oh, and Gordon Ramsay of course has a version with beer bread loaves. And now I want a bunch of mini loaf tins to work with.
So what are you guys up to, currently?
What I’m up to lately? Nothing much. Just the usual, but I’m fine.
It seems that things are starting to go back to normal slowly after this pandemic, one step at a time..
Just the usual seems to be the norm around here! But that’s okay. It’s been a good norm. I think we can get back to normal(ish) after this pandemic one step at a time, but I’m worried that we’re not “after” this pandemic yet. Even though things are starting to open up, we are going to try to stay home as much as we can.