Basil Loves Tomato - The Healing Power of Pesto

Yesterday was hard. My clothesline broke just as I was hanging up the last article of clothing. And as it turns out, wasps were nesting in the open end of the clothesline tubes, so when the struts broke, the angry wasps came out and blamed me for the disruption. Then Bronwyn got a tummy bug and was sick all day, and I couldn't hang the laundry out. Oh NOOOOOOO.....! Before I became an hysterical, disgruntled housewife, I sat down with Bronwyn and remembered what was important to me. I remembered that all of these little details are peripheral; my bee stings will heal, Brian will fix my clothesline, and I can use my clothes dryer. Really I'm lucky. And the luckiest bit of all? I have fresh basil and tomatoes to enjoy.

I made a little nest for Bronwyn to rest in, and I made pesto. All of the joy came back into my life from this simple, aromatic activity. I think the fragrance of the basil and garlic perked Bronwyn up, too! Here is my favorite recipe for Pesto:

3 packed cups of Basil Leaves (no stems, no flowers)

1/4 cup chopped nuts (I like pecans, but pine-nuts are also popular)

4 fat firm cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cups freshly grated parmesean cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pulse in your food processor or blender, then blend on high speed to the consistency that you like.

A HOT one in the Garden

Good Morning, July!

I've got SO much to do, and really don't have time for new projects but I got this new fabric in the mail that I just MUST sew into a bag. It's from Anna Maria Horner (so of COURSE I love it) from her drawing room line. And I've got four bags that I'm finishing, and I want to make an outfit for Bronwyn but I made the mistake of trying to use a commercial pattern. Why oh WHY doesn't my brain want to cooperate with these silly patterns? Anyhow, this is a quick post just so you can feel my pulse. Maybe I should skip the coffee today....