Summer Doldrums

I’ll confess to being in a slight state of the doldrums. What does that mean? According to the Oxford Languages, it is “a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression.” If you go to NOAA, it’s a nautical term for the equatorial belt where the winds don’t blow and so sailing ships get “stuck.” Merriam Webster says the meaning is “a spell of listlessness or despondency.” I’m at the stage of inactivity or listlessness, at least as far as it pertains to getting a column written! I’m sure, if you regularly read my scribblings, you’ve noticed I’ve been missing from this newspaper fairly regularly this season.

I have been really busy in other ways, of course. Our middle daughter, Kim, the one who lives in Florida, arrived on July 16, with her two hockey-playing sons in tow. Our granddaughter, from Montgomery (near Chicago if you don’t want to look up its location), arrived the following Sunday. Lynn left the next Sunday, whilst Kim and sons left Tuesday (they were here two weeks).

We have been to the movies (Despicable Me 4 - it’s a fun show for the whole family), golfing, to Alive at Five, golfing, to the lake (the kids camped overnight with Aunt Gwendolyne), to the movies (Twisters - also a great movie), and more golfing (participated in the Fore the Kids tournament at Sunnyside).

I’ve also been trying to keep the garden, yard, and potted plants watered in this heat. The drip system is a lifesaver in the garden: I can leave that on overnight or for extended periods of time. But I don’t dare leave the sprinkler going on the lawn: it needs moving every couple hours or I get a lake. Or the wind will come up and it will get the house wet.

I have cooked more large, elaborate (for me!) meals in these past two weeks. We’ve had stir-fried chicken breasts with rice. There was a not-well-received hot dish featuring red beans and rice (with ground beef and tomatoes I’d frozen last fall). We had salmon with zapped potatoes and green beans. The pork tenderloin I cooked in the InstaPot ended up being pulled pork. I’ve made whole wheat bread (French toast), whole wheat buns, and also white buns (half of them topped with poppy seeds and half with sesame seeds over an egg wash). I made chocolate-covered strawberries. I made two pans of Rice Krispie bars. We had a tossed salad of leaf lettuce, Swiss chard, and beet greens. I combined a bit of Italian dressing with a bit of honey mustard for that. Kim, Lynn, and I had radish sandwiches with mint pesto. And lots and lots of fresh fruit salads.

If you like mint and have lots of catmint exploding in your garden, you might try this mint pesto recipe. We liked it (at least us females did). You can use this in sandwiches, on fresh veggies, over pasta or baked potatoes. Pestos are great for lots of uses. And they’re healthy…

Mint and Pistachio Pesto

2C packed fresh mint leaves

1C packed parsely leaves

1/4 C roasted pistachios

2 Tbl lemon juice

2 Tbl grated Parmesan

1 clove garlic, crushed

4-6 Tbl cold water

Process in a food processor or strong blender. Start with the lesser amount of water, adding more as needed. Store excess in fridge up to a week. Freezes well.