(In)Appropriate
Hello again!
Local tomatoes went into turbo drive this week. Friday night I made a big bowl of fresh salsa, Saturday’s lunch was BLT sandwiches, and Saturday supper included a fresh Caprese salad. My thumb is still numb from working gloveless with the jalapeños, and my mouth is already starting to resist too many bites of acidic tomatoes. But they are SO fresh. SO delicious. SO of the moment, right now at their peak. Before too long they’ll be gone, and I’m sure I will be partly relieved to have a break from them. But for now I’m heaven.
Later today I expect my friend John to return from his annual pilgrimage to an orchard near Port Clinton, where he buys as many Red Haven peaches as he can fit in the bed of his truck for friends and family while they are at their peak. I’ve blocked a good portion of my calendar out tomorrow, to ensure I have the time to preserve them at their best. Peach Day is kind of like a snow day - you drop everything and change your plans to accommodate them.
Sinead O’Connor died on July 26th. The Irish artist lived a passionate life. Though not confirmed, it is discretely presumed that she took her own life. She was open about her mental health struggles, especially since the death of her 17-year old son by suicide eighteen months prior. Earlier in July, she had posted on Twitter: “Been living as undead night creature since.. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul," she wrote of her late son. "We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him.”
Two words frequently used to describe O’Connors life are “passionate” and “defiant.” In 1992, on live television (Saturday Night Live), O’Connor tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II after singing a rendition of Bob Marley’s song War, with new lyrics related to child abuse, saying to the screen “Fight the real enemy” as she threw the pieces of the picture to the ground.
The actor Joe Pesci hosted SNL the following week, and in his opening monologue suggested half-jokingly that if he had been in the studio when O’Connor’s protest occurred, “I would have gave her such a smack…” I say “half-jokingly” because he was obviously playing the tough mobster-style character that he often portrays in movies. But it stands out to watch his monologue, and the audience's response to it, today.
At the time, the general response to O’Connor in the weeks and months following this defiant act of protest was pretty negative. She took a real risk, and paid a real price in terms of her career. But she also engendered a lot of support. And from the perspective of today, knowing what we know about the scope of the abuse she was protesting, its hard to think anything about her other than she was a canary in a coal mine, singing to warn us of danger. May her memory be a blessing.
As news broke of a new set of criminal indictments against our former president Donald Trump this week, I couldn’t help but think about it through this same lens of time. He is another example of someone whose actions are viewed as either appropriate or inappropriate, with no middle ground. In thirty years, I wonder what the consensus view of him his actions will be. I hope I’m around to observe this.
As humanity keeps stumbling into the future, I generally think we are getting better. But it can be a bumpy ride. Two steps forward, three steps back, one giant leap for mankind…if we don’t blow ourselves up or make our habitat uninhabitable, I think things will continue to get better for all of us, everywhere around the world. It will be a long time before opportunities and standards of living are evenly distributed, but we tiptoe in this direction. Even in the span of three generations of my family, I see massive progress. Granted, this all took place in the most prosperous society on Earth. But if we can’t make such progress here, there’s not much hope elsewhere.
I have hope, and wish the same for you.
Sunday Supper
On Tuesday I made a great salmon recipe from the New York Times Cooking section: The fish was poached in coconut milk with dill and green beans, then topped with freshly shaved sweet corn and halved cherry tomatoes.
Since NYT Cooking has a paywall, I will share this salmon recipe instead, and suggest adding some green beans in with the fish, then separately you can make a side salad by whisking together a half can of coconut milk, one tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar, one teaspoon of Dijon mustard and some fresh chopped dill (salt this mixture to taste), then adding in shaved sweet corn (4-6 ears) and a pint of halved cherry tomatoes. Enjoy this mixture as a side salad, or simply top the cooked fish with it and it will be very similar to what we had this past Tuesday. It is a great way to enjoy the freshness of the moment. Enjoy!
Sunday Music
This hour-plus live concert of Sinead O’Connor in Brussels, Belgium was recorded just three years ago, and displays her in all her signature fierceness.
Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others. Make good use of this day. And let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Neal