Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Summer

Just when I think we have skipped summer altogether here in northern California, October rolls around and brings us lovely, warm days. Just when the rest of the country is donning sweaters, we are pulling out shorts and flipflops. I don't need a long, sweaty summer but I do relish a few weeks of hot weather to make me grateful when the cooler days arrive for good.

We've had quite a foggy, cool "summer," so it was a huge pleasure to have a day so warm that I remembered with excitement that I had a cucumber in the fridge. Cucumber sandwiches almost define summer for me.

I get out my mother's ancient Slice-a-Slice, so well used that the wooden stop at the bottom is splintered from decades of cutting, and make bread so thin as to be lacy. A scrape of mayo and thick slices of cuke are all that is needed. The cukes always fall out, lubricated by the mayo I suppose, but I patiently put them back in and relish the result.

Sometimes, I challenge the seasons and make this sandwich in midwinter, just to remind myself that summer is coming, but it's always better when I can take it out onto the deck under a tree, wearing shorts and flipflops.


10 Comments:

Blogger Ms Brown Mouse said...

We planted 18 baby cucumber plants the other week :) Perhaps we'll get some fruit, and sandwich them up just so.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011  
Blogger cookiecrumb said...

Cranky is still devouring cucumber sandwiches, almost as a wish or a hex or a religion. I would add tomatoes, but that just makes the darned thing more slippery.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011  
Blogger cookiecrumb said...

Also. Eighteen? Eighteen?

Tuesday, October 25, 2011  
Blogger Greg said...

When I worked at hotel fancy, part of my duty was to bring the tea sandwiches up to the lobby. Some of the cucumber ones disappeared on the elevator. Never could figure out where they went ;)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011  
Blogger Hungry Dog said...

This weather is indeed fantastic. Finally all of my whining and fussing about our crummy summer (pretty much wind and fog where I live) has paid off. Whee!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011  
Blogger Toons said...

I hate to be a downer but...Put the cucs in a brine for a while and serve them next to a BLT.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011  
Blogger Nancy Ewart said...

I don't know about you guys. All those comments about loving the heat are heretical to this true blue, fog loving San Franciscan. As for cucumbers, I make a yogurt, mint, za'atar salad. Very Middle Eastern.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Ms Mouse, that does seem like a goodly number of dukes.

Cookie crumb, slippery but YUM!

Greg, you scalawag, you.

Hungry Dog, wish I was there enjoying it. Connecticut is lovely but the weather is not.

James, I consider that suggestion to be an upper not a downer. Good idea.

Nancy, I can't help it - a little warm weather is nice for me. If I didn't live here I d likely be in Hawaii.

Thursday, October 27, 2011  
Blogger Katie Zeller said...

We've had a week of gorgeous, warm weather here - after 5 days of fires in the stove and fireplace - and sweaters. It's been wonderful!

Sunday, October 30, 2011  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Enjoy your Indian summer.

Sunday, October 30, 2011  

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