In Sun and Shadow
September 29, 2008
My friends Kate and Andy love to invite people for meals, but they like to do it at the last minute. Less pressure for everyone. Still, it's always surprising what a nice meal, and how many guests, they manage to come up with on short notice.
This year, Andy and a friend built a pergola (a wooden structure that looks like the frame of a small room) in the back yard. They planted grape vines that, by next summer, should extend across the pergola's "ceiling," providing options of sun and dappled shade. As soon as the pergola was finished, they moved the outdoor table under it. Now there is a delicious sense of shelter without making anything feel closed off.
Apart from the nice new garden structure, recent news from Kate and Andy's family has been mixed. Twins born extremely prematurely. Another baby born into a difficult family situation. Still, as we all sit together under the pergola, on a sunny day after a good lunch and good conversation, it feels comforting to have the benefits of friends and neighbors together, sharing sunshine and shade.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
