So, I came home from the Strawberry Music Festival to find a large herd of caterpillars on my pubescent walnut tree.  I'd never have noticed, except that they'd chewed the bejesus out of about the top third of the leaves.  On closer inspection, I saw a couple cute little caterpillar snouts peeking over the edge of one of the leaves and, turning it over, saw a whole gaggle of them, hiding and giggling in a cluster, thumbing their noses at me.  Well, they WOULD have been, if they had opposable thumbs.  Or, like, hands.

 So I dusted them with Bt.  Great stuff, and organic; I think it makes them all come down with caterpillar flu and die.  OK by me.  Then I commenced to unpack and bond with my dogs.

The music festival was, as always, sweet - great music and, more importantly, an encouraging example of how large masses of humanity can get along.  I felt grateful for my life - good friends, a cheesy but cozy travel trailer from the 70's, and a fun, genuine, affectionate husband who, perhaps most importantly, packs up the camp stove.  PLUS makes many barbequed meats for whoever's at the campsite.  What a guy.

And I felt grateful for my daughter who, although she sometimes seems bored to the point of panic by my attempts at conversation, is very nice about it.  And is going to college, as opposed to, say, jail.  

Ah, college.  One segment of my life is ending - there's no gettin' around it.  When you have kids at home, you feel so NECESSARY, even when their eyes glaze over while you're talking to them.  Suzy Boggus sang a song at Strawberry called "Letting Go", for which she apologized in advance and advised anyone sitting next to anyone sending a kid off to college to hand them a hankie.  And, listening to it, I thought "Well, this is a little predictable and cliched, although beautifully sung, and . . ."  "booooohooooooooo",  began dutifully to blubber.  And did the same thing when she played it again this morning. How embarassing.

My kid and I are still figuring out what to do with each other.  Like most parents of teens, I mostly annoy her, while REALLY trying not to.  And we hurt each other's feelings, without meaning to.  I think this friction makes the impending separation bearable.

It's big stuff - life's a series of beginnings followed by endings.  And we just have to stay strong enough to not get too toughened by those endings.  They're survivable.  I, for one, choose to keep loving all these impermanent and wonderful things around me, and let my heart be bruised a bit.  That's the kinda heart I want - bruisable, and strong, and soft.  But, jeeez. . . ouch.  

 I love you, my kind, blunt, funny, wonderful daughter.  I'll. . sniff. . be OK.

OK: Zucchini Salsa recipe.  Here goes:

2 cups zucchini, scrubbed

1/2 onion 

2 or 3 big tomatoes, or 1 can diced tomatoes

some tomatillos, if you have them (maybe 4, or 8)

1 tbsp crushed garlic (see note below)

1 -2 tbsp pureed chipotles (see note 2 below)

juice of 1 lime

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1/2-1 tsp salt

Get out the food processor.  Go ahead - I know you hate to do it, but it'll be worth it.  No, really.  

(NOTE: THIS COULD BE LIFE-CHANGING:  I buy peeled garlic cloves in big jars at Costco and puree them with just enough garlic to make them go 'round in the food processor.  It'll keep forever in the fridge, although the acid turns some kinds of garlic turquoise.  The vinegar isn't enough to affect the flavor.  I suggest you do this first, and THEN,)

(NOTE 2) I also buy small cans of chipotle chiles at Grocery Outlet and puree them.  Do this after you do the garlic, above, and you'll have some wonderful garlic/chipotle puree in the freezer for salsa next time.  Also for a delicious sweet onion/pepper/cream cheese dip I make.  More about that later. . .)

Now, cut the zukes in half, lengthwise, so you can jam them into the processor.  Use the blade on the bottom, and chop them with the onion and just enough tomato to make it all go around.  Chopped, not turned to mush, is what we're aiming for.

Dump all that in a big bowl.  Add the rest of the tomatoes, tomatillos, and cilantro, all of which you've chopped just a bit in the processor.  Add pureed chipotles and garlic, lime, alla that.  Freeze some in old yogurt tubs, and eat the rest on fish tacos or something.  Yum, right?