THEY COME BEARING HUGS

The KMM trio (Kaya, Mitsuki, Miasa) visited on Saturday, and as they always do made captive of my every moment. Their all-unknowing beauty and growth, their brand-new grownup forthrightness, their inherent privilege shown in their faces from the open door, when they began without compunction from where we left off months ago as if it had only been a moment, though it was months to me and a great part of their lives to them. But they and their smiles, and the hugs that came with them, held all the good there has ever been.

They and I went right out into the garden and cut some of the lush lemon verbena leaves, brought them back to the deck where we rolled them one by one between our big and little hands, put them in the big jar of water to make amazingly sun tea. The twins couldn't quite get where the tea-making part was going to come from, even when I pointed to the sun. Then we went swimming at their favorite nearby spot on the lake, where they swam until the sun just couldn't stay up any longer.

I managed to hold out for a couple more hours than the sun.

SUN TEA

Yesterday Echo and I went for one of our walks along the narrow lakeshore road, which took us eventually to our secret wild mint patch, where from the tall plants we picked a whole bag full of the young tip leaf clusters, the most flavorsome part (then the plants grow two new tips in replacement, like basil does).

When we got home I took about five of the clusters, rolled them each between my palms to bruise them lightly, put them in a quart container that I then filled with water from the mountain spring, covered the jar loosely and set it out on the deck railing in the morning sun. I had to move the jar a couple of times before dusk to keep it in the light, 'cause the chestnut tree plays games with its shadow all day long.

Anyway, the increasingly sun-warmed water in the jar grew more and more golden till by the end of day it had compounded into a darkish amber, and the fragrance was metamint. I put the jar in the fridge and had cool mint sun tea with dinner. If in addition to mint you've got any sunshine around, this is the best way to make mint tea. And for free.