The Summer Wind...

Nothin like a little Frankie to set the tone for the season and here we are, the generally accepted end of Summer... I played Frank and so much more over the long weekend.  Like everyone else, I look forward to that bittersweet long weekend in September.  Its a great time to get together with family, friends, and friends who are family (which I sometimes think are the best of the bunch, because it is like picking your relatives).  I spent a good part of Saturday doing prep work and put out a killer spread on Sunday- the weekend included my usual list of suspects:ribs, chicken, burgers, dogs, sausage... it was all there.  Mix n a generous helping of people who I wanted to spend time with while wishing a fond farewell to Summer and of course just the right amount of liquids... it was a great party.  If you have any questions on the menu, then you need to do your homework... look into the archives- its all there... go ahead; I'll wait here for you...

I decided to take Monday for myself this year... no guests, no cookout, no entertaining.  Instead, I puttered around the house a little, took care of some local errands and enjoyed some pizza... I turned out a few (because leftovers are always so good)- I used some leftover pesto for one, sauteed a little spinach for another, and loaded a third with extra mushrooms.  The first pie went in early for an all day "mangia"... beer and pizza over the day... it was great.  

But then I got to thinking about my family (both the chosen and 'forced on me' varieties) on the East Coast; there is a huge list of people over there that I would love to be spending time with (and you know who you are! That's right... You!!)  While people like to tell you the summer is never ending out here on the Left Coast, I felt it... like Frankie said... 'I lost you to the summer wind...' and it seems he is right, things do change here (I actually start to feel it right around the Fourth of July, but do my best to work through it)  Next thing you know, people are gonna be walking around talking about how cold it is at 70 degrees, asking how I can still be in shorts and a T- shirt, like there's something wrong with me.  I used to try to hide it a little, try to be polite as the new comer, but now I laugh openly and tell them all to go spend a few days with my best girl (my city, of course) in mid February if they really wanna feel cold... 

I miss my family and friends at home; I think it is definitely time for a visit.  If I wanna keep what remains of my brains, it will have to be sooner rather than later... I can't wait- it's always nice to pop up unexpectedly, when people least expect it and give them a good surprise.  So don't any of you be surprised if you see a familiar face or hear an unexpected "Ay- how you doin'?"... you never know where or when I could pop up.  Just be ready, because you know if I'm comin to visit, we're gonna have ourselves a real time.  'Cause Johnny Tomatoes says so!!