And then its time to go.
Come back next year, the harbor calls. I will, I say, without delay. Sigh.
What I learned these final days:
Three-year old multi-grain baking mix, white whole wheat flour, and dark brown sugar do not lose their punch when mixed with fresh buttermilk, eggs and the last of the blueberries to make excellent pancakes. And the lumps in last year’s opened, but refrigerated, maple syrup are not poisonous. Note to next year’s early partyers: I finished the generic cheerios.
School starts and summer stops. No more sailboats, no more Sea Street walkers with boat bags, no more RB Regulars to cajole. Summer people, and I am one, head for winter climes. Mine is Minnesota. Not exactly tropical, but I am a North Dakotan (“Exotic,” one RB visitor declared) and therefore ready.
The leaf-peepers of fall (affectionately known as peeps) are several weeks away and, Mother Nature willing, the leaves will have started to change colors by then. Still lush and green now, though. No red sumac and few blue asters in the ditches, as Charlie and I head to Logan.
Fred’s dog and two regular walkers who know where the blackberries are polished off this year’s crop of reachable berries in the brambles across the road. Fred’s dog occasionally fed a two-snack-a-day urge. The Produce Lady had no blackberries at all this year. No walkers-by thought the rose hips were cherry tomatoes this year, so no profound puckers.
“Contract Pending” is still affixed to the East Wind Inn’s For Sale notice. Changes are in the air, just not too many, I hope.
Morning coffee on the porch smells really good and tastes even better when the sun angles into Fall.
Roseledge, books, trees, tides and rocks; think good thoughts, read 'til Spring, then get ready.
So how do i ready the shelves of good books for whatever your wants of next summer?
Stephen Greenblatt’s The Swerve, for sure. Soon out in paper, this telling of how a classic book was not lost to the ages is a must in a lifelong quest to figure out how information moves and why. What books get noticed by whom, where, when and why? Do publishers reflect or provoke learning or both? Does self-publishing make a difference?
Then Donna Leon. RB has been remiss in not having an adequate sampling of her mysteries set in Venice, and a friend who says that order doesn’t matter has a “tested” stack just waiting.
Maira Kalman’s And the Pursuit of Happiness will soon be out in paperback. This will be a re-read as it was available on-line as a NY Times blog, but her take on (in this case) democracy through pictures and words is just a joy. And don’t we all need some of that, especially in this election year. Her illustrations in Michael Pollan’s Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual make the second edition a double delight, but it is not available in paperback — yet. I have my fingers crossed.
These possibilities continue Roseledge Books’ attention to how the world works and how we live well and learn lots within it. And so do the following good suggestions from Roseledge Books Faithfuls:
Amy Vanderhoof’s The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating and Island Life (think harbor-bound sailors who have tried Moby Dick one too many times) ,
Harry Gratwick’s Stories from the Maine Coast: Skippers, Ships and Storms (think of “the wrecks” at low tide in front of RB), and
Stuart Woods’ Dark Harbor (think Isleboro)
Switch the hours to "Closed," add the adirondacks, and plan to come next year.
Smell the salt, hear the gulls, taste the wild blueberries. Think pace and place and very good times. And if a read to remember comes to mind, let me know what it is.