By Lisa

We had heat. We had sun. We had days off from school. We also had a canceled vacation, crushing workloads, a debilitating neck injury for my husband.

In short, summer was not.

During the dizzying free fall of summer vacation the last 10 weeks, I turned to the food that took  little time, little effort, and even less thought. Easy, seasonal, beloved by the kids.  Gazpacho. Grilled salmon Corn omelette. Pesto. Corn on the cob. Caprese salad. Padrons.   I took comfort in the repetition, found relief in the routine. In the blur of anxiety, pain, distraction, these meals were some of the only things I could count on.  They didn’t exactly save our marriage, but they helped get us through one of the roughest patches we’ve had in years.

Now, too quickly, the kids are back in school.  But I’m grateful for the warm September ahead, for the kids’ good spirits, for my husband’s improving health.  Also, Caroline and I have a book on the way.