Miranda Makes Meringues

... piping the batter onto a cookie sheet ...

This morning, Miranda took out the candy thermometer, had taken her syrup to its correct temperature and already had it into the egg whites by the time I got to the kitchen.

She was watching the beaters of the mix master by the time I was standing beside her.

As well, she had already been able to get the flavour of lavender into the meringue.

I couldn't help her.  She is far more accomplished at using the candy thermometer than I.

All I could do was watch as she said, “I am not sure if it is going to work this time.”

... a closer look at the lavender in the cookie dough ...

That is one of the vagaries of working with syrup and taking it to a certain temperature.

I told Miranda of the time that Mary and I decided to make divinity the way that my Aunt Ervai taught me to do.

We practised three times.

Afterall, it is not a failure if all I am doing is losing a few egg whites and a bit of sugar to the compost.

... the cookies have cooled and are stacked on the rack ...

I think we did just fine, Mary and me. 

But she wanted to know how to make it perfectly on her own and all it took was three practises.

Miranda already made meringues, and put them together with icing. That was the kind of cake that Alice wanted for her birthday.

I noticed that when people came into the kitchen, they were asking Miranda about the icing.

She said that this batch would be the “no icing batch” and with that, all hands dug in.

There were enough for the afternoon movie party under the deck. Some social distancing.

... a5 5 pm, just a few of them left ...

Children in small groups according to families.

Miranda set up the screen (that sheet again) and tested out the film, but that was before the sun got to that side of the deck and she had to improvise another dark sheet behind the first – both connected to the swing for a screen.

The kids only wanted to watch the first part of Hamilton.

I think the show is too long for them, and they don’t like the frightening parts, which I am guessing are the duels.

No little boy wants to identify with the righteous indignation of Hamilton’s son and then see him shot.

 ...little groups of second cousins waiting for Hamilton to start ... 

That is a downer.

But the movie afternoon was a success, since they just didn’t go to part two.

The movie has to stop when the train comes by.

The children run down the steps to the road, around the creek, up the small mowed incline that is the path that leads to the top of the hill, and then they sit back in their seats under the deck.

Fast runners have to also go around the house, if their feet can manage to go faster than one long train going by.

And thus endeth another perfect day, or at least a few moments of a perfect day.

Arta