My September Song

With all this home remodeling stuff, summer just seemed to pass us by. But I took one last stab at it today when I made chocolate ice cream. Nothing says summer (even in September!) like making homemade ice cream. And just to be sure about the statement we were making - we roasted hot dogs on the grill. Actually, today was a lot about food - and being in my new kitchen. I made two pasta salads and a favorite recipe from our gourmet club of the 80s - a mid-Eastern relish that is best when the tomatoes and cucumbers are fresh. Seasoned with cilantro and toasted cumin seeds, it's an annual event.

But fall is in the air - the bittersweet is about to pop and as soon as the bees quit swarming the hydrangea, I will start cutting those big beautiful blooms for drying.

Speaking of remodeling - these things remain:

* range hood #3 arrived at 30" despite factory specs that say 29 and 7/8" (which is required to fit the opening we have...)

* we are still waiting on final electrical details like switchplates - why are the littlest things the hardest to finish?

* living room furniture and kitchen table are ordered but apparently the economy is recovering nicely and there are so many orders ahead of mine that it will take 6-10 weeks...

* still need to locate and order dining room chandelier and kitchen chairs

* lots of stuff to unbox and put away, lots of cleaning to do

* my new target for completion (everything back in place, everything new arrived) is Thanksgiving