Losing the Candles

Greek hospitality
A tray of traditional "treats"
JULY 15th is an annual milestone for me.

It is the date by which I usually review the first half of the year, panic at the realization of all the things I haven't done yet, curse the heat while I question my dislike of winter, and do lots of rethinking and reshuffling on my plans for the second half of the year.

It is also MY BIRTHDAY! (which may explain the mid-summer, self-inflicted mental cruelty described above).

All those years in Kefalonia, I usually spent the day in flip-flops, on the beach, among friends. This year I'm celebrating my second birthday since returning to New York, in normal sandals, on land.

There are other differences. In Greece, the custom is to treat your friends on your birthday, in contrast to the New World where friends treat you or take you out on your special day. Thinking that maybe I should stick to the Old World tradition, I've also decided to do away with the candles on the birthday cake (for practical reasons, you understand!)

Today, I feel the need to treat all of you for your loyalty to this blog throughout my less prolific period. But no cake, and certainly no candles!

Instead, the most traditional of Kefalonian treats or kerasma... a cup of Greek coffee, a glass of fresh spring water—necessary to sip while waiting for the coffee grounds to "settle"—and some homemade spoon sweets.
Like pitted grapes in syrup (photo).

Thank you for your loyalty and patience!
Returning to regular posting is part of my reshuffling.