One Blursday runs into another
Funny how the days all just feel the same, from Monday to Thursday, from May to August. And yet, the season is passing by.
By Mary Bilyeu / The Blade
Wed, 12 Aug 2020 10:00:00 GMT
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Is anyone else’s brain still kind of stuck back in April?
I’ve barely registered that summer is here, and now it’s almost over. As I type this, it even feels like fall with temperatures in the 70s and cool breezes blowing in through open windows.
I wrote a story back in May about Corona-speak: language evolution with new vocabulary and terminology related to the virus. One of the best words was Blursday, which means “any and every day at home” as they all blur together.
That’s definitely how I feel in the morning when I wake up and try to sort out what day it is.
Am I going to the grocery store today? No?
OK, I already went shopping. So, is it Wednesday? Are we doing a photo shoot today? What time do I need to start my food prep?
No again? Then ... um ... are we taping a Cheap Eats episode at lunchtime, so I shouldn’t eat too much breakfast?
It’s Saturday — really? Are you sure? Prove it.
Funny how they all just feel the same, from Monday to Thursday, from May to August.
And yet, the season is passing by.
I’ve featured summer’s bounty from strawberry shortcake variations to a corn salsa to tomato sandwiches, and shown off peaches, cucumbers, blackberries, and more. You’d think I’d feel more in-the-moment.
But since I try to work ahead a bit, rather than being rushed at the last minute with deadlines looming over me like the blade of a guillotine, in my mind I’m putting on a cozy sweater and heading to an apple orchard.
I’m planning stories for October, which is National Cookbook Month. And there are some amazingly fabulous cookbooks being published soon, so get ready for all the deliciousness.
Believe it or not, I’ve already got visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, too. That’s right: I’m plotting out holiday stories full of sweet treats. In August.
This year, we’re all doing a lot more baking — that makes for a good reason to offer a cookie story, I hope.
But we won’t be gathering for cookie swaps and tree trimming parties as we used to; and many of us may still be working from home with no co-workers to feed. So too many cookies and too few people to share them with could be too much temptation.
Very sadly, many other people aren’t currently working and need to be careful with money. That makes a story about inexpensive homemade goodies welcome, right?
The ideas come, the debates ensue in my head. It will all get sorted out.
But in our timeless state, I’m here to tell you that the holidays are much, much closer than we all think they are.
I actually saw candy corn and Brach’s Autumn Mix, with the little pumpkin candies, at the grocery store a few days ago. We haven’t even had much of a summer, and yet ....
I’ve greatly missed the succession of festivals that usually help me to orient myself in time — for example, the Polka Picnic with its fried pierogi took place, so the Rib-Off and the Birmingham Festival must be coming soon, followed by the German-American Festival.
The food, the fellowship, the friends, the fun ... they’ve all been such an integral part of summer. But not this year.
So, even though my brain is still stuck back in April in some ways, it’s also meandering into November and December.
It’s like Blursday is about to become Septemblur.