chrysanthemum

It's brain-fryingly hot. Work and homework must be dealt with regardless, but there can be breaks to peel and slice beets for borscht:

From things that make me happy

There's something satisfying about peeling beets with a good knife. The contrast between the dirt-infused skin and the smooth, shiny interior is pleasing.

And cooking the matchsticks in oxtail broth makes for a good lunch. And rescues the diced cucumber too bitter to finish consuming at breakfast (note to self: cucumber will be back in season next month. Right now it is priced high and tastes awful. Stick with the beets).

Also, the brightness of the beets echoes the Lori-Lyn post I read earlier today, in praise of rich reds and hot pinks.

Now, off to another bowl of soup and the piles of paperwork. (PSA: if you're the spouse or executor of someone who's died, it's worth checking their credit reports to confirm everything's closed. My father's been dead for over a decade and I just found out one of his accounts is still listed as open. Oy.)