Top 7 for Summer 2017 (Part 1: Zucchini Bread)

In one short week, the summer of 2017 will come to a close and I will begin teacher inservice for a new school year. To celebrate the season and all the memories of this summer (that I didn’t get to share) I will be writing my top 7 of summer 2017 (in no particular order 🙂 as I countdown the last 7 days.

During the week of July 15- July 22, my family took our annual trip to Long Beach Island along the Jersey shoreline, but I will save those memories for another post.  While I was soaking up the surf and the sun, something special was happening n Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Back at our small cape cod, along the side of our garage grew one tangled mess of a garden (check out former blog post here).  We found out that when your garden spends eight glorious days of freedom, you are bound to have some surprises.  Mine came in the form of seven LARGE zucchini. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I bounded out to check our garden and plucked these mammoths.  The next day, Sunday, I spent the day slicing, chopping, shredding and spiralizing these ginormous veggies. Cody and I then summoned the precious zucchini bread recipe from his mother and set to work. The result: 9 delicious loaves fresh from the oven.  In case you think zucchini bread is healthy, let me shatter that illusion.  It is equal parts sugar and zucchini.  After devouring half a loaf that evening, we filled our dreams with plans for the rest of our treats.

The next evening was one of my favorites of the summer. My dear husband and I packed up our picnic basket with several of the loaves and did something we believe isn’t done enough anymore: we made random visits to neighbors to deliver our goods and share fellowship together. Our first stop: the elderly widow next door. During our visit, we gleefully pet her pup and shared the news of our impending bundle of joy.  Next stop: our marriage mentors and Cody’s college LOFT team leader.  Our third zucchini bread went to Cody’s Adventure Ed professor. At both homes, we were welcomed and enjoyed long moments of catch up and sharing memories and life updates. After that, we found our next recipient roadside, walking his dog and after quickly turning our car around, delivered the loaf drive-by style. We made our final delivery in the center of town catching our last friends by surprise, but were still welcomed in for moments of chit chat.

At this last stop, our friend reminded me of one of my favorite comedians, Sebastian Maniscalco, who has a short skit on the parody of the doorbell ringing today versus 20 years ago. The video (watch it here for a laugh) describes today’s sentiment about when people come to your door unexpectedly.   But you never know, the next time your doorbell rings, it might be someone bringing you delicious zucchini bread.

I’m so thankful for these memories; 7 large zucchinis, baking loaves with my precious husband, and breaking bread and fellowshipping with neighbors.  Truly goes down in my top seven of summer 2017!