Small joys, small dreams, small sorrows...

A thunderstorm rages outside the window. The sound of thunder is still similar to the sound of an explosion, but it's not so scary now. My friend called yesterday to say that she is leaving for Spain today. Again. I was so happy when she came up a couple of months ago and said she don't plan to return. Now I feel betrayed and sad. It's raining cats and dogs but I still wish her s safe journey.

The stupid phrase "I miss my travels so much" doesn't express even 1% of my feeling. Social medias are full of travel stories. New places, beautiful beaches, ancient cities. Sometimes it seems that if I stay here for another year without vacation, I will go crazy.

That's why ... sometimes I dream. My dreams are blurry and unclear, but they are about real vacations. The day when I will go somewhere far away with my husband. The day I can afford it and let myself.

My daughter got married in October last year. It was an official ceremony and a dinner in a restaurant for a small party of the closest family. But they still want to get married in a church and celebrate with their friends. White dress and all that. Almost a year passed, and now they finally chose a date - September 3rd.

I hope I won't be completely fat by then (due to stress, I constantly crave sweets). And I won't get sick. And I also hope that my husband will be allowed leave - 10 days as the military, and we will go together.

And maybe... and this is my secret wish... we could spend a few days somewhere... anywhere but not in Kyiv. In the mountains maybe, or by the river. Here in Ukraine. Oh God, I miss my normal life so much. I keep asking myself - what else can I do to speed up the victory in this war? Sorry, I must have said that 100 times, or at least 10. But we all need a meaning and purpose fill our lives with, otherwise ... why live?

A few days ago we visited my hubby's mother. She lives at the very edge of a town. A quiet and green remote area. If summer is not a season of vacations then ... it's a season to stock up. Last summer I did not preserve or dry anything. There was no desire at all, and I did not see the point in it. But this year it is my anti-stress. I have never made strawberry jam before. Time to test myself!

You know, if I had a big, spacious kitchen with good lighting, I'd probably run a food blog. Maybe it will be like that one day. I really hope so.

My travels around Ukraine were always special, because I brought something spontaneous from each trip. Sometimes it is herbs for tea that I cut and dried myself. Wild mint, strawberries, blueberries, thyme or marigold flowers. Depending on what mother nature send me. Sometimes it it porcini mushrooms! I never lose a chance if I see a good price. Or honey, bought from the owner of the manor where we stayed during vacation. Sometimes I made jam myself from raspberries or blueberries that we picked in the forest. Not much, coz I am not a big fan of jam. There are only a few dishes where I use preserved berries of fruits, but I make them the way it tastes specifically to me. I usually give less sugar than they do. The consistency is exactly what I need for a certain pie, or cake, or rugelach.

Such goodies are stories and memories, like pieces of a big puzzle of my life. When I look at my labels on the cans, I remember that there was a big harvest of plums in my mother's garden that year. Then I made a lot of plum jam, sauce and a savory snack. And in another year there was a good harvest of cherries. And this year, I happened upon tomatoes at a very good price, and I made a batch of jars of my favorite tomatoes in tomato juice. I couldn't find such delicious ones at the farmers' market or supermarkets. There were also years when I did not make any preservation. God does not send us a good harvest every year, so reserves should be enough for a bad year as well.

Where was I? Oh, visiting Nick's mother. The mulberry ripening season has begun. Do you like mulberry? Black or white. I have adored it since childhood, when it was something exotic for me that I tasted only at the sea. A mulberry tree grows in Nick's mother's garden, and I never miss my chance. As we walked past a small lake, I saw a thyme. The lake was like a blue eye framed by old willows. Also, we passed by an old-winged Linden tree growing in the yard.

And now the fragrance of linden and thyme spread throughout my kitchen. In winter, I will drink aromatic tea and remember the warm summer days and how we happened to stumble upon this thyme.

That's all for today. I hope your summer is much more bright and exciting.🙂 If so, good for you! Anyway. I am grateful to you for being with me today. This rain will pass, and the longing will pass... Despite everything, I believe that gradually, albeit slowly, things will get better here. Let's see.

Cheers,

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