It Was Like Summer Out There

It must be summer time here in Portland. It's 70, sunny and I wish I'd put on shorts this morning. Cy just got back from a camping trip with friends this afternoon and opted for a meal in no short supply around our house in the summer. Burgers. Cy will be cooking up a batch of burgers. He'll form the patties by hand then grill them on our old black charcoal grill before placing a slice of cheese on top for any one who wants it. Then, as the burgers come off family tradition says to toast the buns while slicing tomatoes and pickles. And you can't forget put ketchup on the table. These burgers are always seasoned with spices from the Old Chicago Spice House. They're good burgers.

Just moments ago Cyrus kneaded the meat while dad piled on spices. "You know, we don't have a recipe," dad said.

"Yep," Cy said "we don't need one though."

Smoke is rising up from the grill as the sun beats down, the small shoots of our summer garden adding a slight green to the background. Neko Case's voice comes from the speakers placed on our kitchen windowsill.

Flipping burgers complete, a slice of cheddar cheese on mine, Cy has come back in to prepare a salad while dad prepares the asparagus. The dogs stand watch by the door waiting for their chance to eat all the burgers on the grill. We won't give 'em that chance.

Wow, burgers cook fast. It would appear they're almost done. The pickles have been sliced and the buns are about to be toasted. From the look of things we might be able to have our first 5 o'clock Sunday dinner in months. But I doubt it. We've still got to grill the asparagus.

Which I now know, takes about five seconds. One minute I was watching burgers get flipped and the next I was eating the largest burger I've ever seen. We actually pulled off the 5 o'clock dinner. We ate the burgers and grilled asparagus with the sun still high in the sky.

Yet we're far from done, right now we have peaches and apriums on the grill that will be drizzled with honey and creme fraiche. And those took about five seconds too. The grill cooks things too fast to write about them.

At least they taste good. Really good. As Grandma said: "I just had a weeks worth of meat." She was right.

It was like summer out there.