When Life Gives You Cloudy Guck...Make Cheesy Chicken Chowder

Outside looks like cloudy guck. Even though there is a perfectly plump watermelon sitting on my counter, it's just one of those days for making Cheesy Chicken Chowder. Actually, not just "one of those days"~but in fact, THE first day of the season for it. It must be time for seasons to change. It's that awkward, tween stage, where there's a mix of the old and the new: the watermelon on the counter. my favorite Autumn wall quilt (that Natalie made) already hung (put it up 2 days ago so as to maximize wall time). Swim suits from yesterday still drying on a hook. And Cheesy Chicken forming up nicely on the stove, while my "Caribbean Fruit" Yankee Candle aroma exudes summer in a bottle.

It's obvious that I am NOT ready for summer to end. It never really came and warmed me to the core yet. One of those way-too-mild Santa Cruz summers two years in a row now. I feel quite cheated actually. But since I look out the window and see only gloomy clouds, I might as well make the most of it. Which means it's time to pull out the soup recipes. The old lemons/lemonade thing. And though Cheesy Chicken Chowder has hardly crossed our minds the past few months, it is one of those comfort foods my family can become emotional about. Eyes light up, smiles expand, and the next question is "Are you also making french bread?" I'm glad to give them the thrill of Cheesy Chicken for dinner, but my only question is "Do I also serve the watermelon?" Which brings me back to that awkward tween stage.

This must be how my 6th grader feels. That awkward tween stage. The mix of the old and the new. Goodbye to elementary school and all that it embodies--ultimately the innocence of childhood. And hello? to middle school and all the hassle of growing up, or at least trying to, or trying not to, or cloudy guck.

Watermelon. Cheesy Chicken Chowder. Summer. Fall. Elementary School. Middle School. Changing seasons. It just makes me hungry.