Leigh Kramer

The Babies

I spent the past week in one of my most favorite places: my hometown.

I could rhapsodize for hours why I love my hometown but a big part of the reason is what happens in July.  The 4th of July parade and our annual family reunion.

They may not sound rhapsody-worthy but trust me.  I'll be posting more on those events later in the week.

I savored my time catching up with friends and family, as well as eating at the restaurants I've missed. The rest of the time was spent like this:

 


And then this:

It hit me hard as I rocked a one month old to sleep, how much I want to be married and have a baby. It didn't help when others would ask when it was going to happen. They didn't mean it unkindly but I don't have an answer for them.

I don't know why God would equip me with some of my giftings when I can only live them out in the context of other people's families.  I'm honored to be an auntie but I want the whole package. I want a husband and I want to raise our family with him.

It hasn't happened yet and I don't know if it ever will.

Sometimes this longing prevents me from enjoying my present circumstances but it didn't happen this week.  I looked down at Brody, my cousin's second child, and prayed that someday I'll hold my own little one.

Then I kissed him on his forehead, handed him back to his father, and rejoined the party.

Corn Off The Cob

While I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, I hail from farming folk.  There were few things I enjoyed more than a long day at my grandparents' farm. Tracking down kittens, skipping rocks in the creek (pronounced "crick" naturally), watching my uncle hook the cows up to be milked.

I felt one step closer to Laura Ingalls Wilder. Especially the time Grandpa let me drive the tractor.

My family wasn't always there to bring in the crop or help with preparations but sometimes we were.  There was the day to make sausage, which to this day, is my favorite sausage to eat. Nothing even comes close! There were the days Grandma would can or prep the harvest in frozen bundles.  We would enjoy the fruits of their labor throughout the rest of the year.

I can remember going through the corn field.  Uncle Terry tossed cobs on to bed of the truck we were riding in. And then back to the kitchen to shuck and chop. I remember watching Grandma with her knife, cleanly knocking the corn off the cob into a bowl. We'd surely eat some for dinner that night. The rest would be stowed in one of her two deep freezers in the basement.

I can also remember that certain ears of corn brought critters with them. I was horrified to find a fat worm in the ear I was shucking. What was it doing there? Were there other worms feasting on our corn? What if I'd been eating the corn and accidentally ate the worm?

Ever since, every time I shuck an ear of corn, I worry I'll find another worm feasting on the kernels. It hasn't happened since, I'm happy to say.  But even if it did, it wouldn't stop me from the summer tradition of eating corn on the cob.

The recipe below was in a Cooking Club magazine I used to subscribe to. When I read that it required corn from an actual cob, I knew it would be the perfect summer meal.

Creamy Penne with Corn and Bacon

8 oz. penne pasta

8 oz. bacon, coarsely chopped

2 1/4 cups corn kernels (about 2 to 3 ears of corn)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 c. packed chopped fresh basil, divided

1/2 t. pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return penne to pot.

2. Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until almost crispy. Remove and discard excess drippings. Add corn; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Stir ricotta and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water into penne; cook over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. Stir in bacon mixture, Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of the basil (I added more because I have a basil obsession) and pepper.  Add additional pasta water if pasta seems dry. Sprinkle with remaining basil.

What is your favorite summer meal? Or what's your favorite summer vegetable?

Speed Limit 35

I know I found my good friend Mary Kathryn Tyson through a comment she made at Lindsey Noble's blog but I can't quite remember when I first went over there.  In some ways, I feel like I've known her forever. She has an uncanny way of addressing issues I've been pondering in my heart. If you've ever read her words, you've surely sensed how amazing she is. I'm here to tell you she's even better in person. Plus, she hosts one heck of a live FB discussion on The Bachelor(ette) each week. She has become so dear to me and I'm excited that I'll get to see her again in just a couple of weeks at SheSpeaks!

July is Mary Kathryn's one-year blogging anniversary and she graciously asked me to contribute a post. What says "blogging anniversary celebration" better than my analysis of driving in the North vs. the South?

 

"I am, shall we say, an aggressive driver.

My parents are steady, go the speed limit drivers but I have been influenced by Chicago and its suburbs. If you've ever driven there, you know it can be heaven or hell.

When the light turns green, you go as fast as you can because you don't know how long it'll last. Not making that light could extend your commute by many, many minutes, which will be good for no one. There are too many factors that go into the zaniness of Chicago traffic- short lights, accidents, semi trucks purposely going under the speed limit to piss people off- but this maxim endures: to survive, you must go, go, go..." click on over to Mary Kathryn's blog to read the rest.

Happy blogging anniversary, MK!

Canary Island Song review

I've been a fan of Robin Jones Gunn ever since I picked up my first Christy Miller book.  Since then, I've traveled with her to Glenbrooke and all around the world. 

When she offered bloggers the opportunity to review her new book Canary Island Song, I jumped at the chance. It was a thrill to hold her latest effort in my hands a couple of months before everyone else. 

In Gunn's latest effort, we meet Carolyn, a widow for 7 years and stuck in a rut. Her daughter is out of the house and kindly tells her Mom it's time to move on. What else to do but head to her roots and visit her mother in the Canary Islands?

Carolyn doesn't expect to be confronted by her past while she's there. Bryan Spencer, her first love. And if that last name sounds familiar- you're right.  Here we learn about Todd's dad. Yes, they still have feelings for each other. But is it too late?

First of all, I've never been to the Canary Islands and didn't know much about them prior to this. Now I have a deep desire to go and explore! It sounds like paradise.

As a former hospice social worker, I was interested in how Gunn handled Carolyn's grief. In some ways, Carolyn has not allowed herself to mourn. She hasn't truly said goodbye to her deceased husband, and so doesn't feel she can date or move on with her life. In other ways, she has put the past in the past. While I'm surprised that Carolyn hadn't attempted dating post-loss sooner, her grief rang true to me.

I enjoyed the flow of Carolyn and Bryan's new relationship. Grown-ups have more baggage and more complications and Gunn didn't shy away from exploring these issues.  At times, I would have preferred certain conversations to have been more fleshed out. The subplot involving Tikki's relationship problems could have stood further exploration, rather than rushing to its culmination. 

I loved seeing Carolyn's tender relationship with her mother come to life. The way that God uses Carolyn's time in the Canary Islands to draw her nearer to Him, as well as awaken her heart to Him, was beautiful. Even if you are in entirely different circumstances, I have no doubt that you'll hear from Him while you're reading as well.

Overall, I really liked the book and was glad to have had early access to it. Lucky for you, Canary Island Song releases July 5.

Have you ever traveled to an exotic location?

Disclosure: I was provided a free copy of Canary Island Song, with no expectation that I would provide a positive review.  The thoughts, opinions, and reactions are entirely my own. 

Disclosure : Amazon Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through to Amazon from HopefulLeigh, any purchase you make supports this site.