It is cooler today, only 69 degrees in the house so far. We're thankful for the break...clouds coming in off the Sound. The east end of the state is covered in smoke from B.C. fires, but so far Seattle - while dry - has not suffered that fate. Still, the fire bans will start this week...just to be on the safe side.
Seattle summers are poorly understood. For all the moisture we slowly but steadily accrue throughout the year, one drizzly day after another, we have equal amounts of drought in the short intense days of summer. We knew it would be bad this year; our spring was unusually dry. All that snow this winter didn't add up enough, or melted too quickly in the rains, or simply didn't cover enough of the mountains to fill our rivers and streams to the levels needed to last through till fall.
Hot, dry, breezy days are great for drying our laundry au naturel. The line out back was full, so this load had to dry inside.
We had a heat wave a couple of weeks ago. It was around 86 degrees in the house. The timing was a challenge, as it was the day I had planned to pit and pie a bag of fresh local cherries that were gifted to us. The pitting was fine - messy and sticky, but cool because I did it poised on the back stairs enjoying a breeze. The pastry? The pastry was a challenge.
Buttery flour warmed too quickly under my rolling pin. Back into the fridge it went. I pulled it out and tried again - knowing this would be my last chance with this batch. It had to either work this time, or go into the composter and...did I even have enough butter for another batch of pastry? I focused and let go, all at once. Focus on the task at hand, give it your best, but let go of attachment to the outcome. This is a lesson for my whole life. This is my yoga practice at work in my daily activities, reminding me to be gracious, grateful, patient and resourceful. Then to offer all of that, surrender it to the Divine and trust.
Yes, of course this was "just a pie", but the point is that we can learn such wonderful lessons in the seemingly mundane activities of everyday life. We must want to learn!
The second time was a charm, just barely, as the pastry stuck to the counter in places. Like the bits of myself that I have left here and there. Next came the top crust, which had chilled longer and been handled less, but still warmed too quickly. It molded itself to the fruit as soon as the pie plate hit the oven rack:
It still tasted good. We called it a "rustic look".
That baking day reminded me to be thankful. Thankful for the cherries, butter, flour, sugar. Thankful for the heat, and its lessons in focus, tolerance, patience and surrender.
Where do you find your daily lessons?
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