We have some friends who work like crazy running a restaurant Monday through Saturday. On their one day off…

I love the Saturday morning ritual of going to the outdoor market.  I didn’t grow up shopping outside—except for the occasional summer farm stand—and even though outdoor markets are common throughout America now, the ritual still feels a little like an adventure to me, evocative of Paris streets, Italian piazze, and Costa Rican mercados.  Many of us had foreign travel dreams canceled this summer, and part of maintaining a sunny outlook during these months of perpetual disruption and delay is finding the beauty and delight in the things we can still do. And being grateful for them.  To start, thanks

My friend Gwen has a magnificent yard, a bountiful garden, and a very well stocked liquor cabinet. But her huge and magnanimous spirit is the essential ingredient in the good times we share.           She is over-the-top generous with her time and the bounty of her home. When I had my own big yard we started a friendship based on the joy of gardening: planting and watching things grow, exchanging plants, and thinking about what we wanted to get next.           She was already a very accomplished gardener and her lighthearted enthusiasm