Saturday Night: September Transitions

 

It’s September. In a few days, anyone who’s going back to school will do so. Lots of other things tend to change this time of year, too, as if we never really shake the rhythm of the school year. I never minded the coming of autumn, and I liked school, so this was usually a time of positive change for me. And since the fall doesn’t really fall, but transitions into our lives throughout the month of September, we at least get some time to think about what lies ahead.

Labor Day Weekend…

** A turning point. The greatest turning point of my life came at this time of year. I met my husband on a Labor Day weekend 21 years ago. We bonded over Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, the theatrical version of the television show, of which he had a copy (on VHS!). Together, we’ve watched hundreds of episodes of MST3K and its progeny, Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, the short-lived Film Crew, and the newest Netflix MST3K series. It’s super cool to think we’re still enjoying something together that we did when we first met.

**The day job. I frequently work weekends, and often end up covering shifts on holidays, but I’m excited to say that I’m experiencing a real three-day weekend! It remains to be seen whether I’ll use these days wisely.

The garden…

**Vegetables. The vegetables seem to be deciding whether to keep going in this warm weather or to read the signs in the changing angle of the sun that it’s time to winter up. The tomato plants are withering, and the squash vines are getting weaker. There are just three butternut squash out there, but they look pretty delicious, so I’m happy.

 

**Herbs. The herbs seem content to keep going, with the exception of the basil and cilantro. It’s time to pull up the rest of the basil and make a batch or two of pesto. Then, I can plant some arugula or some other cooler-weather greens in its place.

**Decorative plants and flowers. I’m rooting coleus and geraniums in hopes of keeping them going and even having them as house plants over the winter.

**Zucchini. It’s still coming. Nothing new to report.

**Tomatillos. I’ve got quite a few of these as well. I’ve made delicious Grilled Green Salsa that I hope to post here soon.

Reading…

**I started reading The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu. I really enjoyed Chu’s Time Salvager and Time Siege. So far, The Lives of Tao is very entertaining!

**I also picked up Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking by Simon Quellen Field to brush up on the nerdier aspects of my culinary life.

**I finished The Scar and Fahrenheit 451, and with all due respect to the importance of Bradbury’s work, I have to say that I prefer the freaked-out entertainment piped directly into my brain by the darkly weird and wonderful work of China Mieville.

Recipe fantasies…

**Dorie’s Cookies. If today I could begin a semester-long study in which I cooked and ate my way through a cookbook, it would be this one by Dorie Greenspan. There are so many, many wonderful cookies in there, from familiar to exotic. In August, I made the Moroccan Semolina and Almond Cookies on page 155, which were lovely. I plan to make the Coffee Malteds on page 116 next.

**Apples. We acquired our first bag of locally-grown apples today, so I better transition my research and testing from summer fruits to apples. I’ve got to make a classic apple pie this year. This is tough to admit, but I can’t remember the last time I made one. (Have I ever made one?) I’ll probably still look for late season fruits like plums and grapes to make desserts like this cake, this galette, and this gelatin dessert, but once I really dive into apples, I don’t intend to look back!

Lots of things seem to change with this particular calendar flip. Nature, people, interests, entire lives. I’m a bit nervous facing some upcoming challenges as I shift from summer’s free-wheeling informality and consider busier, darker, and colder days to come. But there’s a lot of comfort to be had in some of the constants, like books, cookies, making fun of bad movies, and the alchemy of a successful long-term relationship in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. (I love you, Harry!)

Happy September! And respect to all work and workers on Labor Day!