Death by fruit, part 3; dinner; goodbye

You guys, I've started to resent the fruit. The blackberries, raspberries, purple plums, most yellow plums and the majority of peaches and tomatoes are successfully put away. It has been a damn marathon. Mostly fun, now less so. 

Today I made lightly spiced plum jam, froze an arseload of peaches and berries and made a peach-blackberry pie which is, admittedly, divine. The highlight was the off-the-hook fabulous tomato-saffron tomato sauce I put atop paccheri for dinner. Blissful. Every single bite.

peach and blackberry pie, pre-top crust

paccheri with tomato-saffron sauce

Because I am now retching on the couch whilst trying to block my ears from the Republican clown car "debate," I am going to go pack because I leave for Amherst, MA, first thing in the morning. 

Why am I going, you might wonder? I am heading to what promises to be an amazing writing retreat with the inestimable Jena Schwartz and six incredible women I've gotten to know by writing with her. We are heading there tomorrow, like bees to a hive, to connect, write and laugh for forty-eight glorious hours. I'm so lucky! 

I'm considering taking the weekend off from Em-i-lis so that I can leave my laptop at home and simply be present there. If I'm radio silent until Sunday night, that's why. 

Thank you to everyone who read my essay on Mamalode today and showered me with love and support about it. Love you back! And I'm so glad it resonated with you.