In which I'm pondering summer
The weather here is overcast and gloomy today, but we had a gorgeous weekend, and the lovely weather has me in a summery mood. Here are a few delightful warm-weather things:
*Watermelon Margaritas. I tweeted about this and got several requests for a recipe. I found it in one of Martha Stewart's magazines and it's very simple: bring to a boil 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer for three minutes and remove from heat to let cool. (Sugar should be completely dissolved.) Blend 2 cups or so of watermelon chunks in the blender. Strain. (This is essential. Otherwise you'll have a watermelon/tequila slushy. Which I suppose is not an entirely bad thing, but not quite a margarita, either.) Combine watermelon juice with cooled sugar syrup, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, and 3/4 cup silver tequila. Serves four. Now, personally, I prefer a traditional margarita, but I had no Cointreau or Triple Sec in the house, so watermelon it was. These go quite well with fish tacos.
*White cotton clothes. I seem to have amassed a collection of white cotton without meaning to. I have five skirts, a pair of shorts, two pairs of cargo pants, seven blouses, and four dresses. I'm not entirely sure this is normal unless you're Isak Dinesen, but nothing feels more like summer than some variation on white cotton. I am particularly fond of long, petticoat-style skirts, probably because it makes me feel like I'm camping out on the Serengeti, even if I'm just doing the laundry.
*Pocket Pond. My new favorite iPhone app. Seriously. It is a tiny koi pond that you carry around on your phone. It even has nature sounds. You can make little plinking noises in the pond as if you just skimmed a stone. You can feed the koi and populate your pond with lily pads and dragonflies. (You can also kill the dragonflies and feed them to the fish if you like.) It's incredibly relaxing.
*Summer books. If I weren't tail over teakettle trying to get through my research material right now, I would be assembling a stack of summer books. Top of the list? Summertime by Raffaella Barker, The Love Letter by Cathleen Schine, and My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.
*Lighter fragrance. I seldom wear Chanel No.5 in summer. I think it's too much of a good thing. Right now I'm wearing Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria in Mandarine-Basilic or Frederic Malle's En Passant. I also have a bit of L'Occitane's Eau d'Azur left because I think mimosa is lovely in warm weather.
*Herbs. Yesterday I planted basil and cilantro, and I am on the hunt for lavender plants. The rosemary and chives from last year are still going strong, and to me nothing says summer like being able to crush a handful of your own sun-warmed herbs in your fingers.
And you? What are some of your favorite things?
Comments
yum, summer
I'm right there with you on the white cotton clothes. I think I have four white cotton dresses, six skirts, and 4 pairs of pants. On top I like to wear white tanktops, usually layered to prevent sheerness, with the added benefit of if I spill something, I just switch the order of the shirts. BRILLIANCE, I say.
Can't wait to try watermelon margaritas!
Summer also means, for me:
blue crabs. Nothing like a cold beer and hands covered in Old Bay seasoning.
late night runs
the smell of honeysuckle
fireflies
bonfires at the beach
Ok, and since I'm a wedding photographer, it means CRAZY BUSY-NESS. Which is awesome.
The biggest problem with
The biggest problem with South Florida is that it almost seems our seasons are backwards. My herb plants are bolting, and I'm trying to use up as much as I can before they burn up in the heat--except for the rosemary, which will never die. And by now the windows are closed and the AC on all the time. I won't be able to get fresh air in the house until October at the earliest (unless we have a hurricane). On a positive note, though, I planted a crimson mandevilla vine on Saturday that is beyond beautiful!
For me, it's having the
For me, it's having the windows open upstairs with the breeze blowing in through the curtains. It brings in the sounds of the birds, the trees, and the fountain while I drink iced tea in the afternoons and read a book to keep cool.
It is not what we have been having this May--frost, cold rain, and more cold rain.... but hey, summer doesn't start for another month so perhaps I will forgive the weather gods =)
Oops!
Forgot to add to the watermelon margarita recipe: a drop or two of orange extract to the sugar/water mixture as it cooks. You could also fling in a bit of orange zest instead.
oh so many!
1) Lighter and less clothes! I love that I can finally put away my bulky jacket, tights, etc. and just run around in a sundress and a pair of sandals. Of course, this goes in cycles, so by the end of the summer I'll be ready for my boots and sweaters.
2) Iced coffee.
3) Lunch in Bryant Park.
4) BBQs in my grandparents' backyard. They live on the water and have a beautiful garden that my grandfather plants every summer. It's one of my absolute favorite places to be.