Kansas City Summer

After dark, in the first barefoot nights of summer, everyone under the age of eighteen, who lives on Walnut Street, hangs out in Sharp’s front yard. The older boys chase us and wrestle us. Ralph always comes after me. He sits on my stomach and holds my wrists so I can’t get away. I squirm under him and try to push him off until we are both red faced, exhausted and breathing fast. We stop. I look at him. He smiles his big dimpled smile. I giggle and look away again.

When I breathe in deep, the sweet smell of damp earth, new grass, and sweat mix so intensely that I can recall it later, like an old melody. His heaviness fells good, like he’s grounding me, pinning me down so I won’t fly up like a helium balloon. Our skin is hot and sticky where our bodies touch. Sometimes I get hurt but not enough to make me cry or go home.

I would never go home until mom called me. I didn’t understand then, why I wanted him to catch me, or why I felt so giddy and even a little afraid when I was close to him, but that unknowing was part of the magic.

Philomena Robinson

Revised excerpt from Completing the Circle © 1997

Brodie, Henry, Benjamin & Lee

These are the four boys I am homeschooling on Orcas Island.

First Grade

Ron Koertge    

Until then, every forest
had wolves in it, we thought
it would be fun to wear snowshoes
all the time, and we could talk to water.  

So why is this woman with the gray
breath calling out names and pointing
to the little desks we will occupy
for the rest of our lives? 

Enzo's Dog

We lay there & looked up at
the night sky & she told me
about stars called blue squares
& red swirls & I told her I'd
never heard of them.

Of course not, she said,
the really important stuff they
never tell you. You have to
imagine it on your own.

Brien Andreas
MOSTLY TRUE
Collected Stories & Drawings

Feather

This was taken at Esalen in Big Sur. I did not put the feather there, it is just as I found it.

Yellow & White

Perhaps I was once a florist or a gardener or an inhabitant of the Garden of Eden - that might explain my obsession with photographing flowers.

Silver Dress & Blueberry Pancakes

BLUEBERRY, YOGURT PANCAKES

1/2 c. Organic unbleached flour
1/2 c. Organic Whole Multi-Grain pancake mix
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Raw sugar

1 1/4 c. Organic Goat Yogurt
1 Free range, organic, omega 3 egg

1 Basket organic big-fat-blueberries
Pure Maple Syrup
Butter (preferably European unsalted)

Stir all dry ingredients together with a wire whisk. Beat egg and blend with yogurt. Stir yogurt/egg mixture into dry ingredients until just moistened. Let rest for about 10 minutes.
Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a heavy frying pan (or cooking oil of your choice – butter makes the crispiest edges). When pan is ready, cook one pancake to throw away (Cooks Illustrated claims this readies the pan to perfectly brown the rest of the pancakes.) Batter will be thick so you need to spoon the batter in to spread it out. When bubbles begin to form and sides of pancake are firm, place desired amount of blueberries on top.

Flip and continue cooking until bottom is golden brown. Remove to a warm platter in oven. When all the cakes are done, turn off the burner and pour the syrup into the pan. Pour into server.

If you do not wish to put the blueberries into the pancakes or you just want extra, they can also be put into the skillet with the syrup.

© Philomena Robinson

Flower Bowl & Cabbage Puree

One of my art teachers in graduate school claimed that a true artist loves food, and creating in the kitchen, as she showed us a slide of her kitchen, which was right next to her art studio. I don’t know if I agree with her “true artist” statement but most of my artist friends and I talk about food as much as we talk about art or life.

CABBAGE PUREE

One head of cabbage (preferably organic)
Salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Fresh ground pepper
Smoked Salt

Cut cabbage into 6 or 8 wedges. Bring lightly salted water to a boil and blanch the cabbage for 3-5 minutes. Place 1/2 of the cabbage in blender with a little water from blanching and use puree setting till smooth. Do the same with the other half of the cabbage. Return the first half to the blender. Add about 2 tbsp. of butter, smoked salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Blend until all ingredients are blended well.