If I say “watermelon”, you might say “summer”.

In varying degrees, many of us favor different foods for different times of the year. My father-in-law was on the low end of seasonal eating. Fried meat, potatoes, beer and ice cream served him well year round. His only concession to season was fresh corn on the cob in August. On the other end of the spectrum, Japanese cooks not only  vary the foods with the times of the year, they also consider colors and tableware. One of the most memorable meals of my lifetime was a fall dinner I had in Japan. Squash soup and golden crab cakes on dishes of varied earth hues and a centerpiece of fall flowers, branches and leaves combined to created a total aura of autumn.

Summer is here, and my kitchen will become a summer kitchen. The baked potatoes , hearty soups and casseroles of winter will be on sabbatical. In their place will be dinner salads, stir frys, broiled open face sandwiches and picnics. Most of our summer meals are eaten outdoors on the deck, and I cannot imagine diving into a bubbling casserole of scalloped potatoes on a steamy summer evening.

Here is a quick, easy recipe that is perfect for a 90 degree night.

Corn and Avocado Dinner Salad

• 1 can Summer Crisp or Steam Crisp canned corn…(Purists would insist that this be cut off the cob which would be wonderful, but I refuse to feel any guilt about this shortcut.)
• 1 medium size avocado, diced
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
• Juice from 1 lime or equivalent Nellie and Joe’s Lime Juice
• Fresh chopped chives or onions to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bacon crumbles for topping…turkey or soy bacon if you are not into pigs

Mix everything together, chill and head for the patio with some crispy French bread, fruit and wine. The recipe serves two generously and can be doubled or tripled with ease.

Bon Appetite!

I do not have a gambling gene in my body. I simply don’t get it. Why would anyone want to throw away perfectly good money for a one in a trillion chance to get rich? The math is shouting “NO” at me, and I’m listening.

The rare occasions when I have done any form of gambling stand out like red flags in my memory. In my entire life, I have put exactly two quarters in a slot machine. This was done under duress.

My husband, daughter, son-in-law and I were passing through Atlantic City on our way to Margate, New Jersey, to see Lucy, the historic, elephant shaped building. My family strongly suggested that I needed to have a once-in-a-lifetime slot machine experience. To be a good sport, I sadly bid my two quarters farewell.

I’ve been in Las Vegas on a number of occasions, always on my way to someplace else. I do agree with architect Robert Venturi that the city is a fascinating mirror of America’s pop culture and ephemeral architecture. However, remembering what happened to my two quarters in New Jersey, I do not feel compelled to make a financial contribution to pay for all the neon and ticky tacky architecture.

The gambling industry is working hard to make all of us use the word “gaming” to refer to their lucrative rip off of the masses. I think that the nice sounding word “gaming” should only refer to using Monopoly money in a board game. “Gambling” occurs when the real stuff goes away.

I am not a believer in self-help books. Although the bookstore shelves are brimming with them, I believe their true purpose is to make canny authors rich.

The main focus of all these tomes is identical….read the book and you will know yourself, find yourself and then fall madly in love with yourself. Narcissists rejoice!

I am, however, in favor of  self awareness, and I would recommend a delightfully whimsical children’s book from 1975 as the ultimate guide to personal understanding.

Written by Remy Charlip and Lilian Moore, Hooray For Me! is 32 pages of creative self exploration. It starts with the obvious:

• I am my mother’s and father’s daughter.
• I am my cousin’s cousin.
• I am my aunt’s niece.

Then, as the pages unfold, less thought about identities are revealed:

• I’m my dream’s dreamer.
• I’m my shadow’s body.
• I’m my family’s dishwasher.

For a lovely exercise in creative writing, put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and discover your multiple identities. I bet you will be exhilarated by your many roles and a bit overwhelmed at all you do.

Note to lovers of children’s books…Caldecott winner Vera B. Williams made her illustrating debut in Hooray For Me! In addition, Brian Selznick, a fan of Remy Charlip, dedicated The Invention of Hugo Cabret to him. Mr. Selznick also asked Remy to pose as Georges Melies in his book and he agreed.

In Asia it is the Year of the Dragon, but where we live, it is The Year of the Turkey. Our yard and the fields and roadsides around us are bristling with wild turkeys. Yesterday, five of them spent a pleasant afternoon having an extended lunch in The Tooley Cafe.

We are delighted to host these big birds, the largest game birds in North America. It’s no wonder that a young relative on seeing wild turkeys for the first time exclaimed, “Look at the little dinosaurs.” A 20 pound, 4 foot long bird with 5,500 feathers is an imposing sight. I confess to laughing when I read this note in my bird book, “This bird is distinctive and unlikely to be confused with others.”

Our turkeys are especially welcome as they were eliminated in Wisconsin by the early 1900’s. Reintroduced in the 50’s and 60’s, they have made an amazing comeback here and in all the states. Approximately 7 million wild turkeys now roam about America.

A few weeks ago, something outside caught my peripheral vision signaling my brain to take notice. Focusing on the pine woods next to our house, I saw a huge tom turkey showing off for a hen, fan tail fully opened and face bright red and blue. Sadly for tom, she took one look at his fantastic display and ambled the other way. Since toms have “harems” of up to twenty hens, I’m sure he had better luck on other days.

It would be a mistake to think of wild turkeys as anything kin to their domestic counterparts. Wild turkeys can run 25 miles per hour. Their top flight speed is 55 miles per hour, and they are able to fly straight up and away. At night they roost in trees.

The birds see in color and have daytime vision that is three times better than humans’ eyesight. (Their night vision, however, is poor.) Excellent hearing allows competing males to hear each other from up to a mile away.

I must admit that I enjoy these wild turkeys more than any of the birds that have come into our home on a certain November day.