110 Degrees

The heat is draining. Our neighbor's pool calls us to come and play and none of us ignore the invitation, though eyes get opened day after day under water for far too long and bodies are thoroughly exercised to exhaustion from fits of splashing, jumping, and keep away. The water remains a refreshing retreat from the suffocating temperatures that steal our breath away as we make our short trip back across the street to a comfortable home, one that is equipped with air-conditioning. A blessing.

I find myself in the kitchen, a place where I love to be, baking...in 110 degree weather, and I am cool and thankful. And after two days of mixing ingredients and placing them atop our cookie sheets and into bread pans, there are lots of good things to store away for the days when the air is warm, but bearable, summer afternoons when the oven and the air conditioner take a rest from their responsibilities.
4 loaves of banana bread,

1 French Vanilla cake with chocolate icing,

(already devoured)

7 dozen chocolate chip cookies,

5 dozen snickerdoodle cookies,

and 4 dozen peanut butter cookies.

A bowl of shortening rests on the counter top next to a can of pumpkin and a half dozen Granny Smith apples, each waiting patiently to be transformed into something delicious. The children know that mom will be adding pumpkin cookies to a freezer already full of treats, sugar cookies will soon be packed away for a cooler day when decorations won't melt from the heat, and apple pie will surely find its way into hungry tummies for breakfast in the early morning.

Finding homes for our goodies is always the easy part.