Today, Wednesday, was the first full day of classes.Yesterday was a soft start for new students only. And so begins another school year.
On Monday evening we took a walk at Island View Beach. Light fades earlier and earlier.
As twilight falls, shadows cast strong contrasts on sculptural driftwood. We walk in the sand where none of the sun's warmth remains. Gulls drift quietly on the water as if sensing the close of summer.
In the garden, tomatoes ripen. Tomatoes, zucchini, and green beans play starring roles in dinners throughout the week. For a simple Sunday supper I roasted tomatoes - a mixture of plum, cherry, grape, and regular varieties with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lots of fresh garlic cloves. When the tomatoes began to caramelize just a bit, I sprinkle feta cheese and capers over, then baked it for a few more minutes, and finally tossed fresh basil over it all. Spooned onto crusty bread or whole wheat toast, it made a fine meal.
I tried something different for a recent breakfast. Sauteed mushrooms and chopped asparagus, plus crumbled fried bacon, and a scattering of grated Cheddar cheese on the bottom of the baking dish, topped with 8 eggs mixed with 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup milk, seasoned to taste, fresh herbs - chives and parsley, topped with sliced tomatoes and baked until set. Delicious, and the leftovers are great!
What I'm currently reading. I finished Once Upon a River in short order and have been perusing the two cookbooks with leisure. Literary Paris is a book to enjoy slowly; it's full of quotes and photos of that lovely city. Louise Penny's latest I'm going to save for this coming weekend, for I know that once I begin, I won't want to stop.
Summer still lingers in my garden. I picked a lovely bouquet of roses - Bolero, Winchester Cathedral, John Cabot, and an unknown variety, and arranged them in a marble vase that once belonged to my mother-in-law. It's sitting on the fireplace hearth and petals are dropping, a lovely litter of pink and white.
Days are summer, early morning and nights are autumn. A sweater to begin and end the day, a light dress suffices in the middle. Golden light through darkly silhouetted trees. Change is in the air.
You'll love Loiuse Penny's new book!I am savouring it...trying to make it into a 3 day read!
ReplyDeleteTomatoes are the key players in our meals right now...roasted and in salads...the bounty of our home grown crops do not disappoint!
Hope your school year is off to a great start.
One publisher has taken Louise Penny on their list. I have read one, very symphatetic detective story, the second shall be published next year. Hope they'll publish more, allthough the Scandinavian detective writers are very popular here (Sweden, Norway). It IS autumn, here wet and cool. Your dishes look delicious & warming.
ReplyDeleteA lovely post, Lorrie! Love, love your rose photo -- the dark background makes the roses pop right out. Your kitchen capers look so delicious, as does your reading pile. I envy you having Louise's latest yet to look forward to...I finished reading my copy already. It was wonderful and done all too soon. I've reread the last chapter several times to savour it.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a beautiful day...
Brenda xox
Gorgeous roses! Your breakfast dish looks and sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a wonderful school year!
I love the driftwood! And your yummy veggies and flowers too. I read the one by Reese W. and it was very good. Of course I can't wait to read the latest Louise Penny! I'm waiting for it from the library...but it's hard to wait! I'll look for Once Upon a River...sounds good! Hugs..and thanks for the prayers!
ReplyDeleteChange is definitely in the air. My little heater was humming this morning. If I felt up to speed, I’d bake something.
ReplyDeleteA good school year to you...
What would fall (almost) be without Louise Penny? I'm reading Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford. It's set in Seattle. You would probably enjoy it. Your tomatoes look delicious. I'd eat that for breakfast any day. Enjoy your first days back!
ReplyDeleteI am loving the tomatoes from the garden too - your tomato dishes sound and look delicious. Where has the summer gone to - I'm not ready to let go of it just yet. Have a good school year.
ReplyDeleteLorrie, your post is pure poetry. Along with the beautiful photos, it gives one a mini-vacation in the midst of whatever is going on!
ReplyDeleteThe breakfast sounds divine, a great winter change from oatmeal.
ReplyDeleteHow delicious your breakfast looks. Tomatoes figure on many of our dishes at the moment, though it wont be long before the greenhouse is empty again.
ReplyDeleteI too have one ot two last roses. It is amazing how they keep coming back just when you feel they have finished.
Hope this school year will be a happy one for you and the kids dear Lorrie.
ReplyDeleteLovely tomato dishes, beautiful roses, and some good sounding reading in the near future.
Hunkering down here as Hurricane Dorian heads along the NC coast. Very heavy rain here inland this afternoon and now praying the winds don't come through tonight. Scary days!
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ReplyDeleteI hope you have a wonderful school year. Cooler here in the morn but still blazing during the day. Summer is hanging on. :) Kit
ReplyDeleteI love September days! You're using yours well!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your new term. I’m envious of your bountiful tomato harvest. Not such a good year for ours although the apples are good. Thanks for the book recommendations. I’m nearly caught up with Louise Penny. Only two more to go sadly. Hope she’s a prolific writer! Have a great weekend. B x
ReplyDeleteYour tomato breakfast looks and sounds delicious, I may have to do something similar for myself and Eddie this weekend :)
ReplyDeleteLove your roses.
All the best Jan
We may be an ocean away, but our mornings are chilly with wonderful warmth by noon.
ReplyDeleteYour roasted tomatoes sound great. I will have to get some capers. Fireman loves them and I don't usually add them to my slow roasted cherry tomatoes. Great idea
Wishing you a great new school year. Your dishes look yummy.
ReplyDeleteBlessings as you begin your new year, I believe teachers get excited as much as the students do. Our children were always ready by the end of summer.
ReplyDeleteYour roses are so beautiful, it seems that flowers know that the summer is ending and they seem to really put a show on.
It is always so nice when the seasons transition from one to another, our problem here in the South are the hurricanes as summer ends.We are so thankful that we had only minor damage as Dorian past, our prayers are with those who weren't so lucky.
Enjoy reading your books, they look like great reads, I always enjoy a great cookbook and have collected many over the years.
Have a blessed day,
Sue
Your egg/tomato/cheese, etc. recipe looks delicious and would be good with our fall abundance of tomatoes at the end of the garden season. So school is back in session and you're off to a good start. Seems more reasonable to start in September than August, but it's interesting how starting dates vary, even in our state.
ReplyDeleteHope your new school year is wonderful - our grandsons are now a freshman in high school, a senior, and a third grader - they are all having a good experience at their new ventures. Your flowers are lovely - and your tomato dishes look wonderfully tasty. Did you get the huge thunder and lightening over there like we did last night - it was spectacular - today is much calmer.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a happy New Year (September first still seems like a new beginning to us even though the school year hasn’t determined our calendar for many years now). The roasted tomato dish looks and sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI spy a Gamache Murder Mystery on your pile. I must get to ordering one soon. That dish looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteYes, change is definitely in the air. Gorgeous roses on your mantel. A lovely abundance of produce from the garden. Preparing and starting a new school year, so fresh with delight, but with shorter days of light. Fun to see you stack of books. I think it was you that said awhile back when I showed my stack that it was fun to see what others were reading. Yes, it is!
ReplyDeleteLorrie, the roasted tomato dish on toast is so good.Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe roasted tomatoes and breakfast dish look delish!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by how hot and humid it was (high 20s) when I left the office this afternoon. The high temperatures are supposed to continue for a few more days. So summer isn't ready to go yet!