Spring arrived with a good amount of rain and left with a good amount of heat. Both were welcome, although both reminded us that we've still forgotten to buy a nice patio umbrella. Daytime parties at the cottage resulted in some elaborate mechanisms designed to create shade on the couch; a few ropes, a few bungie cords, an old bedsheet, and lo, some shade was created!
"Spring cleaning" (which usually occurs every month before our housekeeper arrives) included some household carpentry. We found a larger and longer wooden rod for hanging pots over the stove, painted it, screwed in eyehooks, and created a hanging pantry! Now we have no large pots cluttering our cabinets (leaving that to random pans, mixers and mixing bowls, and tupperware that never seems to stay the same). In March a wind storm picked up as we left for work; having just watered the back garden, John forgot to shut the gate, arriving home to find it shattered off its hinges, hanging forlorn in the middle of the passage. But a few quick screws and it was back in action (never mind a few subtle wood pieces that were not returned to the backside of the gate). Then a call (and another, and another) to our landlord finally fixed the stripped bathtub faucet, although with slightly less water pressure than before. But now, at least, guests won't try to turn on the shower and not be able to turn off the water...
Easter came and saw John's cousins flock together for an impromptu family reunion. Three generations of relatives enjoyed the food, wine, and toys that are regularly stocked in the Cottage; charcuterie of brie, gruyère, and various dips and spreads were washed down with the typical De Rose wine of the month. Pizza for the kids, and green cupcakes: too tempting for anybody to resist! iPads, magnets, and good healthy gossip entertained us all (thankfully, the iPads and magnets did not entertain each other). A few trailing pencil scribbles on our fridge's bottommost greeting cards bear us now a smiling reminder of how nice it is to have kids (of all ages) in the house.
We accomplished more spring maintenance with the welcome arrival of some experienced homemakers. John's parents arrived in May with a few excuses of seeing us, seeing the cottage, and listening to John perform in a CalBach choir concert... something they've been missing for five years! Joining forces, we terrified the front garden into something much more organized and flowery, arranged strings in the back garden for the beans to grow into, planted some new flowers and new jasmine on the patio, and replaced the ugly bare lightbulb overlooking the stove with a three-headed track light that makes working on the stove *so* much better!
With the parents around we had a grand old time, sending them on their way to galavant around the peninsula by day, and reconvening by night around the cozy Quail Cottage dining nook. Breaking out the pink himalayan salt plates one night we dined on tuna sliced and seared just enough to leave a pink hue in the middle, dribbling its juices to soak up enough salt making it to die for! Matched with an old cellared De Rose fresh from the garage, a grand meal was had by all. The next day Autumn's parents made it up to the cottage as well, joining John's in various errands, the ladies to Filoli Gardens and the gents to the Computer History museum. That evening's dinner included items we had savoringly obtained from the farmers' market the weekend before; bruschetta with fresh plump tomatoes and spring basil on a toasted baguette rubbed down with garlic, teriyaki marinated beef patted down with a fennel spice rub and seared on the trusty cast iron grill pan, and a swiss chard dish sautéed with garlic and onions (a Cottage classic!)... likely as a portent for the backyard chard explosion to come!
Both sets of parents eventually left, and things quieted back into the normal buzz of Silicon Valley life. Autumn flew on a quick trip to New York, and John on a quick trip to Wisconsin. Old friends now in the UK visited, and newer friends from around the peninsula enjoyed a number of dinners and drinks in the kitchen. John practiced slug jujitsu and nightly raided the back yard to keep slugs and snails off the lettuce and squash seedlings. And like a rising dough ignored on a warm stove, the gardens silently grew and grew until one day we realized we had a real explosion on our hands. The lettuce was finally big enough to eat; delicious, tender leaves of butter and oak, varieties too delicate to buy from a grocer but amazingly supple on our plates! Chard was a wonder to pick, as handfuls of red, green and gold stems blossomed to bouquets of gigantic green leaves! Walking inside was always a treat; whoever picked the greens would deliver a basketful of produce to the other, always remarking "it didn't even make a dent in the forest!"
Carrots were pulled with good (and tasty) success, beans climbed high along the string, Autumn's basil project grew widely (she being a big fan of fresh pesto), and several squash — french zucchini, sugar pumpkin, lemon cucumber — sprouted well on the other (more shady) side of the back garden. (John's mom had convinced us to plant them there... "you say you don't have a better place, and are they really going to sprout in your fridge?") And the devilish second generation of cherry tomato monsters grew slowly, catching up to the beans. We finally caged them and gave them a haircut, hopefully preventing them from reaching the full escape of the bougainvillea as they did last year. Heirloom tomato seedlings — green zebra, brandywine, tigerella — finally sprouted as well, and relegating the cherry tomatoes to the back, we fit the new elites snugly in some large pots on the patio, three large wooden buckets and a half whisky barrel. Not daring to thin the seedlings, we ended up with 10 zucchini plants and some 15 tomato plants. We hope the Cottage friends will look forward to squash and tomato parties come fall!
A bountiful summer awaiting, we enjoy running our hands through the basil and tomato leaves, our noses imagining what culinary delights we'll be able to make in the months ahead. New Cottage visits are promised, with two of Autumn's friends moving into town; an old hometown friend (the same that showed us across Africa), and Autumn's brother, now settled with a good job nearby. And despite the heat of the summer, three new fridges in the garage should keep the wine chilled for them, and for you, when you come back to grace our cottage. Come knocking, and we'll feed you fresh harvest and chilled spirits; until then, have a cool evening and a good night, and if you see any squash recipes, pass them our way!