We have had a hot, dry summer here in New England. I know people elsewhere have had it worse. The Midwest and Southwest have been baking and have seen lots of violent weather. The Southeast has seen lots of violent weather. So we are fortunate in a way, but we are still hot and irritated and you have to understand, few homes here have central air conditioning. We never needed it before the last few years and my home does not have the ductwork to add it. So we sweat in our shorts and wait for a break. Fortunately(??) I grew up in St. Louis before the days of air conditioning. The kids slept upstairs in a red brick house without even a fan. I have a lot of experience imagining I am lying in a cool mountain stream, not at all bothered by the 100+ degree temperatures in my bedroom. I have put that skill to good use the last few years.
At last we did get our break in the weather. The last few days have been gorgeous, with moderate daytime temps in the 80s and low humidity with a cool breeze. This is our “native” New England summer weather, back again. Tonight after dinner (Thai chicken red curry with lots of veggies from the garden) we honored another New England tradition and headed to our favorite ice cream stand, Rota Springs Farm in Sterling, Massachusetts (farm pictured above and ice cream stand below).
New England has the highest per capita ice cream consumption in the country and our favorite flavor is coffee (just as our favorite coffee is Dunkin Donuts). The area outside of Boston abounds in farm-based ice cream stands like Rota Springs. An advantage of Rota Springs is that they also sell meatball subs made from their own ground beef (guaranteed to be free of pink slime). I get the sugar-free caramel pecan ice cream to keep my carb consumption in check, but I only do this occasionally to avoid the unpleasant effects of the sugar alcohols they put in sugar-free sweets.
So we are enjoying the weather and looking forward to another pleasant week. While temps are moderate, we still have not had any rain, so hand watering at the garden is still needed at least every other day. If the weather holds, the next excursion might be to Kimball Farms in Lancaster, Massachusetts, which has a clam shack next to the ice cream stand. I’m imagining staying cool with a clam roll or lobster roll, with onion rings and a Sam Adams followed by ice cream.
