Roasted Corn, Avocado and Black Bean Salad (A Yankee as "Miss Maudie" reading . . . To Kill a Mockingbird)

This salad is a result of a time-honored tradition as head chef of this household: It's a hundred and thirty here in St. Louis. Cripes almighty! No cooking will happen--we are all raw foods here. This salad took literally five minutes to prep. I have tomatoes and cucumbers galore from the garden--I pulled out whatever else I had on hand to make a lovely main-dish salad. It was dressed with a yummy balsamic vinaigrette and fresh lemon juice. I had so little energy yesterday afternoon, I could barely scoop the avocado from its shell. Chopping and peeling the cucumber from the garden nearly did me in. And the corn roasting part!--I was able to muster only because I had made a quick dash to the store after my morning run, husked it right away and put in a bag in the fridge. All I had to do was place the corn over the open flame of the stove for a few seconds to add a nice color of "I-worked-hard-to-make-you-a-salad-for-dinner" appeal. Simple. Straightforward and filling. I topped the salad with some quinoa for an extra protein boost. Salads are an essential summer staple right now. 

I am no shrinking violet when it comes to cold weather, but if it climbs even a tenth of a degree over seventy-eight, I am DONE. I am a Northerner through and through--as a Southerner in "residence", the summers in Missouri about do me in. The older I get, the worse it gets. This summer's rains have turned this town into a literal cauldron of unacceptable tropical insanity. 

(Perhaps I was spoiled with my trip to Lake Michigan in late June where I had to don a jacket during my morning runs. No. I was simply living in what I knew as child was summer! Sure we had some heat, but it was short-lived and tolerable as the Lake winds provided much relief.)  

Believe me when I tell you, I nearly died yesterday in this St. Louis heat. I felt a complete and utter draining of my faculties and all of my senses as I left the bookstore after an afternoon volunteering as one of the readers for our local library of To Kill a Mockingbird. (The entire book was read aloud.) Maybe you are asking yourself about this thing called "air conditioning". Well, I am a stubborn cheapskate, born of the mind of a woman who won't let go of something until it finally dies of its own accord: my thirteen year old car has no A/C and I refuse, REFUSE--to shell out one hot dime for another car until this one tells me she's through. 

Meantime, let me tell you how I spent my weekend: Reading To Kill a Mockingbird in anticipation of today's arrival of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. This was my third time reading the book. And as a lover of all literature, it still stands as one of my all-time favorite books. I laughed out loud at Scout, I felt the anger over the injustices, prejudices and simple Southern ignorance of that time, I cried during the trial as Atticus stood by the accused, and I nearly had forgotten the ending as our Boo Radley finally makes an appearance. It was the best summer weekend I've had in a long time. 

**Well, it's not even eleven a.m. here and I see in the link to Amazon's page twenty seven reviews of the Watchman book already! Mine arrived via my Kindle and at three a.m., I couldn't resist: I began reading. For the life of me, I'd like to know how those folks got through the book so dang fast. They must not have three dogs (a puppy in the mix to boot), and a husband who all need tending to in the morning.   

Given all the surprise, mystery and controversy surrounding the finding and release of the GSAW book, I have tried to keep my head down in terms of reading too much of the new book's press. (Even skipping the reading of the first chapter when it was available.) However, I stumbled across  this piece in the New York Times. A third book?!! Wait. . . I have to finish THIS one! 

Of course, my favorite character in TKAM is Miss Maudie. And I doubt Miss Maudie would have availed herself of such ridiculous attire in the middle of a heatwave and instead rested comfortably at home with her azaleas. But, as a close as I could, I meant (with silly hat I keep on a nail in the garage) I meant to have a little fun--especially if I was dragging myself out sans air conditioner: gardener, dispenser of wisdom, hat-wearing, azalea-loving southern Lady. (Okay, here's the skinny: I can do Southern with the best of them, thanks to our mother's fourth marriage and transplantation of my sister and me to The Bootheel of Missouri during my most precious teenage years). Talk about cold slap in the face. I can remember not being able to understand a WORD most of the people around me spoke. I swear. But soon enough, I HAD a drawl like everyone else--a sloppy sort that ran around my "y'alls" and "sody-pop" like a tight wrench.

In celebration of the release of GTAW, our local library partnered with a local Barnes and Noble and held an all day reading of TKAM. I channeled my inner Miss Maudie and braved the heat. 

(And of course, shopped for more books!)

Here in my garden, my star-gazer lilies have bloomed and are at their most beautiful I have ever seen. This is one of my favorite flowers and they're planted right next to the front door so when we come and go, we get to stare at them. Their scent fills the sticky-hot air and for a moment I am happy. 

(Then the sun hits my face and run back inside to the sanctity of air conditioning and books.)