Sunny Summer Days

 

In the garden

The herbs keep growing.

We walked along the Huron River.

Summer Reading

I read one more mystery by E.C.R. Lorac: Checkmate to Murder (1944)
Quite enjoyable!

Throughout Lorac’s novel, we keep coming back to one character, Roseanne, and her preparation of a stew to feed the men who were assembled while the murder next door was taking place:

“Rosanne returned to her cooking. She had undertaken to produce supper for five people at nine o’clock. The chess players and Delaunier had each provided a ration of something ‘to put into the pot,’ and Rosanne was contriving a savoury stew from the miscellaneous collection brought in by the others, added to the meat and vegetables she had bought for herself. Actually she loathed cooking, but with the rare common sense which characterised her, she had taught herself to cook, and to cook well, in order to prevent Bruce squandering their slender means on restaurant meals.” (p. 8)

It’s a well-plotted mystery, and the characters are interesting though not necessarily likable. Inspector Macdonald, of course, succeeds again.

A major success by World Central Kitchen described in detail.
I have enormous respect for this organization and its founder José Andrés. 

This book was published in 2018 about the events following the hurricane in Puerto Rico the previous year. Unfortunately, it’s still painfully relevant both in terms of the challenge of how to deal with natural disasters, and in the horrific indifference and cruelty shown by then-President Trump towards the American citizens (that is, the people of Puerto Rico) whose entire world was destroyed and who were starving and homeless.

Photos © 2024 mae sander