fresh tomatoes

During these hot summer days, Oliver and I take refuge in our tiny apartment to stay cool. Oliver plays on his owl blanket in the living room while I wash dishes and tidy up our little home. 

This day Oliver's mood is happy so I am able to wash the tomatoes from my mother's garden and the fresh cilantro from the supermarket. 

My parents, Oliver's Abuelo (spanish for grandfather) and Nana, spent Sunday afternoon with us. Every time we see them, they feed us or shower us with fresh vegetables from their little backyard garden and fresh eggs from the chickens. 

Yesterday, Nana brought green zucchinis, red ripe tomatoes and some of the freshly baked zucchini bread that I have loved for as long as I can remember. 

While Oliver watches me from his blanket, I gather ingredients to make pico de gallo, a fresh chopped salsa with a name that literally means "rooster's beak". I enjoy mine with tortilla chips, on tacos, with my breakfast of eggs and tortillas, and with countless other dishes. Mine is much simpler than most because I don't have any onions or fresh jalapeños to add to it but it will still be tasty because of the juicy tomatoes. I dice tomatoes and chop cilantro. Then I add the juice from a lime, garlic, spicy hot sauce, and a little salt and pepper. 

 

The result is colorful and delicious and perfect for a summer snack.

~Bethany

Musings at The Ranch.

          After a fun-filled Fourth of July weekend, Nick and I spent Monday morning on "the ranch," as the Sellai's fondly call it. The ranch is the family vineyard that has been owned and operated by the Sellai family for nearly one hundred years. Although the plot of land has shrunk since the good ol' days, with housing developments springing up all around, the ranch still offered me a great deal of history as I roamed its grounds, while Nick and his dad installed an air conditioning unit on the family home.

          See what I saw today in these photos...

       Fred, Nick's grandfather better known to his grandchildren as Nonno, kept a close eye on the ac installation, but also took some time to tell me about how he was born in that house back in 1919, and has lived there his entire life. Using his cane as a pointer, he shared details on his six children whose pictures line the walls, and his late wife. 

          For most of the morning as I sat on the porch steps, lost in thoughts and the nostalgia that surrounds the place. I tried to picture the lives of Nick's great grandparents, who first settled on that land after immigrating from Italy. It was really very peaceful.

          I think both Nick and his dad were afraid that Nonno would be in a grumpy mood, but he surprised them both as he spent the morning in cheerful conversation with me. He told stories about his wife and about the dogs  he has owned, about his children and about the changes he has witnessed in his lifetime like rising gas prices and the housing development sitting on what once was part of his then 20-acre property. "I used to have lots of neighbors," Nonno said. Longtime neighbors from his early farming days. "They've all died, though," he mused. "You out-lived them," Don, Nick's father, replied with a laugh. "That's what happens when you get old." 

          

          I don't think I am so worried about growing old though. I think today showed me that. I feel like I can grow old fearlessly as long as I do it surrounded by the people I love. I thought a lot about my own grandfather in Oklahoma. He used to share stories and insight with me often. I haven't spoken to him in quite a while though. Maybe I will write him a letter today, just to let him know I am thinking about him. And maybe I will make Nick take us to visit Nonno at the ranch again soon. Just to let him know that he is in our thoughts, too. ♥B.