Peter Piper picked a lot of peppers.

A bounty of colorful peppers.

Hot Pepper Jelly. YUMMY

We joined CSA this Fall—Community Supported Agriculture. In case you are like me and this is a new term for you, when you participate in CSA you purchase a share of the farms crops. This purchase gives local farms the means to buy their seeds etc for the subsequent growing season, while you benefit from a weekly haul of produce and other products. It is a risk to purchase a share because there is no guarantee of a return, for instance, if the crops are bad or the weather is destructive. But it’s a cool thing to do because it supports local farmers. We need local farmers to thrive, now more than ever.

A Fall CSA is shorter than the spring/summer version. As you might imagine, the variety of possible produce is smaller too. That being said, this year we have gotten an abundance of food. Lots of end of summer corn, tomatoes and melon, winter squashes, pounds and pounds of potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage….and peppers. OH MY GOSH. So many peppers.

Because there was no possibility that the two of us could eat so many, we made a dozen or so jars of Hot Pepper Jelly. Have you ever had it? First of all, it’s easy to make. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Second…it is DELICIOUS. Sweet, hot, yummy with any kind of cheese (especially cream cheese).

I think we might try canning cranberry sauce next. Stay tuned.

Forever grateful

My father was in the military long before I was even a twinkle in his eye, serving in the Navy during the Korean War. He never spoke of it, but given the treasures he kept, it was clear he was proud of his service. My oldest nephew was a soldier in Afghanistan. He served multiple tours as a medic. All that he saw, all that he did, had a profound impact on him. He was never the same after his honorable discharge. My ex-spouse was in the Navy for over a decade. He was an electrician onboard a submarine in a time of relative peace.

Although they all served under different circumstances and joined for different reasons, one thing they had in common was a years-long commitment to defending our country and protecting our rights. My heart fills every time I think of the time their lives were not their own,, the dreams and goals they sacrificed or put on hold.

To the men and women who enlisted or were drafted, or currently serve in any branch of the military, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your service, your dedication to our country, and the sacrifices you made in defense of life and liberty. Tomorrow, we celebrate you.

My heart honors you and is grateful for you every day.

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Time to try something new.

Ladies and gentlemen, my very first TikTok. Drop a comment and let me know if you think I should do more videos on TikTok, or just admit videos are not my thing.

It shouldn’t be this hard.

Create self care habits and rituals.

One more time, I have set my intentions to take better care of myself. I’m very good at taking care of other people. But remembering to exercise, eat clean, and REST continues to be difficult.

Sure, I can go along for a while but then life happens and I get off track. Again. Then I have to grieve the time lost, pull myself up and dust myself off, and begin again.

So, here I go. Making a fresh self-care plan and trying to figure out what I need to do to be more likely to stick to it. I WANT to stick to it. Anyone want to join me? Maybe we can encourage each other.

Start date September 1.

The Beach is My Happy Place

I love the beach.

Actually, I more than love it. It soothes me. Heals me. I never feel as peaceful or happy as I do when I can see the waves, smell the water, and feel the ocean breeze. Earlier this week, went to a small beach on the Connecticut shoreline. It took me an hour to drive there, and I stayed a couple of hours. I know some people would say it wasn’t worth the time. But it was for me.

Does the beach affect you the same? If so, take a moment to watch this industrious creature and listen to the sounds of the water.

A Moody and Fun Evening #edgarallenpoespeakeasy

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy at a local theater. It was amazing! the actors (who were also the bartenders) performed interpretations of Poe’s work in a very atmospheric setting. It was moving, eery, funny and generally a good time. Of course, Poe-inspired drinks were serve.

I highly recommend attending if they come to your town!

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In case you want to check them out!

An alter to Poe.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

If you live in the wake of the current heat wave, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Except you literally should stay out of the kitchen. Today it was 109 with the heat index. My poor flowers are suffering. Some water today resuscitated them, and we moved all of them to shade in the middle of the yard. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone tended to us like that?

I’ve never been a fast writer, but it’s extremely challenging to write in weather like this. It’s physically uncomfortable, of course. But the scorching temperatures and the New England humidity make it nearly impossible to concentrate. But I’ve made commitments so I keep chugging along. I plan to have a new novella and the final installment in the Living After Midnight series before the summer is over.

Ever hear of the Little Train That Could? I think I can, I think I can, I know I can, I know I can…

Stay tuned.

June 7 Will Always Be a Holiday

There are some events that give you cause for reflection. They may make you rethink decisions you’ve made, or trigger an important memory, or fill you with gratitude. June 7 does this for me. It’s Prince’s birthday.

He’d be 67 if he was still with us. Although there is a hole in my heart from losing him nine years ago, I am ever grateful for the joy and comfort he gave me while I was lucky enough to share the planet with him. His music, the way he sang, and played the guitar like a wizard touched me so deeply. He wrote to my heart and sang right into my soul.

He was also more than that.

He gave me the courage to write and, in fact, inspired many, many stories, some yet untold. He led me to the greatest friendships of my life. He gave me my soulmate. And he saved my life. (The details are here. https://www.trevannrogers.com/blog/2024/4/16/repost-from-4-24-16)

Today, I reflect on having him in my life for over forty years. There is no doubt in my heart—It was always love.

Grow If You Want To.

A Hosta Prayer Plant we resurrected.

If you know me well, you know that I hate yard work. Mowing, weeding, planting, trimming, bugs, dirt... Every bit of it. The problem is that I love beautiful gardens. I enjoy watching flowers grow. But actually doing the work? Ugh.

Fortunately, my partner loves gardens too, and enjoys working with flowers. However, her back issues prevent her from doing everything she wants to do. Over the years, we have taken on a shared philosophy of gardens: Grow if you want to.

So we do the best we can at planting. (That bleeding heart in the middle of the pachysandra? I planted it upside down.) We buy nearly dead plants on sale because we want to give them love and hope. We let everything grow as wild as it wants to, with the exception of growing ON the siding or roof. We hire a great guy to mow and trim and dig big holes. And I get my hands dirty.

The result is that we have wild blueberry bushes, apple trees, and cherry trees on our small hillside. Our pachysandra is taking over half the yard. Little violets are taking over the other half. It’s lovely.

This year, we are going to try to grow vegetables, and sunflowers. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned.

Joy in Unusual Places

These days, I believe that job Number 1 for me is keep myself and my partner safe. The world is crazy right now.

Job Number 2 is finding joy. Everyday, I want to experience at least a few minutes of joy. Life is too short not to, you know? Today’s bit of joy was very unusual. The students in one of the classes I teach had so much fun doing an activity I’m sure they originally felt silly doing—College students, you know. I let their fun and enthusiasm, as rare as it is, wash over me. The feelings stayed with me the entire day.

Another odd source of joy has been a tv show my partner and I discovered called A.P. Bio. From the first minute, I was captivated by its sheer stupidity. But as we typically do, we said we’d give it a few episodes and make a decision about continuing to watch it or not. And guess what?

It is still fairly stupid. But there are periodic gems that are hilarious, and even less frequently there are meaningful points about relationships, friendships, and life. I never would have imagined that this dumb show would be a source of so many smiles and warm moments. But I let myself find the joy in it.

Spring is around the corner—lots of inherent joy: More sunny warm days. More activities. I hope you find unusual sources of joy, too.

It's the Ice Cream Man, um, Person!

Since the beginning of the week, the ice cream truck has been driving down our street between 6:00 and 6:30PM. You already know how I know—the music! Oh, that jingle still brings me joy.

I can still remember what I bought. If it was Mr.Softee, I bought a vanilla soft-serve cone with chocolate sprinkles. But if it was the Good Humor truck, oh boy. I got an ice cream bar, vanilla covered in milk chocolate, with this, big yummy piece of chocolate in the middle. You can’t even find that today, but it was extraordinary.

We were lucky. The Good Humor man came by every day at the same time. And my sister and brother always bought treats for us. As I grew older, I learned it wasn’t just about the money. He was dating my sister! Can you believe that?

He should have been giving me FREE ice cream.