In yesterday’s post, I complained, a little, about the cool weather we’ve had in the past week or so. Perhaps the weather gods heard me because yesterday was a sizzler, too hot even for me, and by 4:00 in the afternoon, all I could do was lounge on the patio and read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. In between reading about Margaret Hale, the snooty young woman from the south of England who goes to live in the dirty, industrial north, I watched for hummingbirds at the feeders. There were none, and it is possible that they have begun their long migration south. No more whizzing of fast-beating wings, no more zipping of iridescent bodies until next summer, and I am always sorry when these ethereal birds are gone.

Luckily, given my propensity for lounging and reading, I had made dinner earlier in the afternoon. My tomato plants—Juliette—did not do as well this year as they have in the past. Too gray and rainy for too long. But I have gotten some to eat with my lunch, and yesterday, I even had enough to make a very small batch of sauce. I washed the tomatoes, dried them, and cut them in half. I tossed them into a bowl with some olive oil and some salt and pepper. Then, I spread them in a 9 x 12 and sprinkled oregano on them. I roasted them at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until they were very soft and a little brown around the edges. When they had cooled, I blended them in the food processor.

In my vegetable bin, I had lots of good things from Farmer Kev to use in the sauce. Item: one small summer squash. Item: one large clove of garlic. Item: one small yellow pepper. I chopped the pepper and the squash and sautéed them with a tablespoon or so of oil in a small skillet. When they were done, I added the garlic and sautéed this for about 30 seconds. Then I poured the sauce over the vegetables. The sauce seemed a little thick, so I thinned it with a bit of water. I tasted the sauce, and it was certainly good as it was—to me, nothing beats the taste of sauce made with roasted tomatoes—but I had a couple of leftover hamburg patties, and I crumbled them into the skillet. I covered the skillet, and let the sauce simmer for about 45 minutes. Another taste, and I seasoned with salt and pepper.

Clif and I had the sauce over penne, and we had just finished when lightening began to flash and thunder began to boom. As the rain started to pelt down, I called for the black and white cat, and compact and purposeful, she bolted into the house. Just in time. Hail pelted against the windows, and our power went out, not to come on until 5:30 the next morning. But cats, the dog, and people were snug inside as the rain poured down.

I thought of the people repairing the lines in this fierce storm, and I felt thankful for their steadfastness and hardiness. The power seldom goes out when the weather is good. For us, the loss of power is inconvenient. For those who work on the lines, it is a test of stamina and even bravery. (Would you want to be out in a storm messing around with power lines?)

Anyway, just figured it was time to give credit and thanks to where it was due.