The colors are changing already. The fields are a light shade or amber, the green of the cedars has changed from the bright green of spring and early summer to the deeper green of the fall. It happens so fast we don’t really notice it until we do. We have been under a heat wave for weeks it seems and we keep hoping the big storm will come through and break the humidity barrier. I have been lucky enough to walk almost every day and stay in the woods where it is cooler. My brother introduced me to a new walk along the stream which not only makes us happy but the dogs are happier too. They jump in and out of the stream taking a quick swim in the various pools along the way. We ran into a young boy fishing one day. He was trying to catch some of the little trout that are in the pools. He actually did get one and he showed it to us. Probably about 5 or 6 inches in length ad very pretty. I don’t know much about fish but I understand it was a speckled trout. He was very proud and was hoping to catch a few more.

Most days are filled with walking the dogs and working on various projects around the house or on my computer. As with many summer days they just roll into each other. After the family left we settled back into our routine pretty quickly. We made a trip to New London to see another play, Jersey Boys, and John made a trip on his own to take the cats back to Jenny Lane in preparation for the Class of ‘67 Roommates reunion that was coming on August 2-4. This reunion was originally scheduled for last summer but I unfortunately caught Covid and was down for the count for two weeks and they certainly didn’t want to come anywhere near us.

The Weekend

Lots of preparation and anticipation went into getting ready for the weekend. The biggest thing was contracting with a professional cleaning service to come in and do a Grande Ménage. For many reasons it was past time for doing something in depth like that. This is a big, old (1901) house and it needs a lot of TLC but especially cleaning when it houses so many people and animals. I don’t even want to discuss the dog and cat hair that is insidious. This group went room by room, moving all the furniture and miscellaneous items into the middle of each room and then they washed everything. Gradually they put things back and the final stage was to vacuum the rugs. My only criticism is their vacuum was great on floors but not so great for rugs so I gave then mine which is not so great on floors but fantastic on rugs. Friday afternoon everyone arrived. We were missing one wife as she broke her toe and was uncomfortable enough to not be happy traveling. The others arrived very closely together. One person stayed at Manoir Hovey and the others stayed here with us.

As you can see they haven’t changed a bit. What a treat to have them here at the lake. The weather has been typical hot and humid but sitting on the porch was actually pleasant. I did a little cooking before they arrived for our Saturday dinner at home. Recipe shared below. Friday night we went to dinner at Manoir Hovey which was outstanding and a wonderful time of catch up for all of them. They had not been together since graduation. Over the years we had seen them but usually it was us and one other couple, or two of the members who were part of the Nassoons (singing group) would see each other at reunions. We attended Princeton Reunions with two out of the three roommates a few times, most recently their 50th where we took our whole family. Another great memory.

Cooking This Week

Best Creamy Basil Corn and Tomato Chicken Skillet (adapted from Delish)

Ingredients (I doubled the recipe for 7 people and I cut the chicken into smaller pieces)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 lb. total)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels (from about 4 ears)
1/2 c. heavy cream 
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 c. finely grated Parmesan

Step 1

Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. In a large skillet over medium- high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Cook chicken, turning halfway through, until golden brown on each side, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Step 2

Reduce heat to medium. Cook onion and 1 tablespoon oil, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender and light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and tomatoes just begin to soften in places, about 1 minute.

Step 3

Stir in corn and cream. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. 

Step 4 etc.

I placed the chicken in an 9×12 pan and then poured the vegetable and cream mixture over the chicken.  I cooked it the next day in a 300 degree oven very slowly for about an hour.