Wringing out the wet blanket

It should have been a rotten day: little sleep, lousy weather, nagging headache, and the prospect of multiple meetings for which I needed to be alert and coherent despite poor sleep and humidity that fell like a wet blanket smothering every thought. And yet I'm happy. 

Who can explain the mystery of moods? I started the day struggling more than usual to walk up the big horrible hill--even at 7 a.m. the humidity was so thick I needed gills. But the roadside was speckled with cheery brown-eyed susans and the neighbor’s donkeys were grazing alongside their brand-new foals, cute and fuzzy and not at all amused by Hopeful’s helpful barking. Despite the heat, I felt a good mood working its way up through the sweat.

I fed the mood with some homemade bread and plenty of cold water, a refreshing shower and a bright floral shirt, a productive meeting and lunch with colleagues, a chat with friends, a reception for the new president. The humidity never faded but the good mood kept growing.

Then I topped it all off by taking my husband to dinner at the best restaurant in town, where we normally can't afford to eat because food that good ain't cheap, but some work above and beyond the call of duty brought me a gift card that covered half of the cost of our meal--and what a meal! My scallops were perfect but the dessert left me speechless: lemon cheesecake crepes with berry reduction and whipped cream on top.

It tasted like my day: bright and cheery, rich and creamy, sweet and tangy, full of zest. Even horrid humidity can't overcome a recipe that powerful. (Will it last? Ask me tomorrow.)