Aren't you Supposed to be Writing?

Sharon Wildwind

Of course I’m supposed to be writing. I’ve got only chapters left to write before my next book is finished, but I’ve been waylaid by what was once called the dog days of summer. Too hot to do anything. Too much on the horizon with school starting and Labor Day only a few days away .

I want to play, not write, and when I'm in this mood I am very easily distracted. I intended to write today, honestly I did, but purple beans got in the way.

I’m so disappointed when gorgeous purple beans turn green while cooking. I went looking for suggestions on how to keep them purple.

Alas, the world doesn’t work that way. The purple color comes from a plant coloring agent called anthocyans. If the soil feeds the beans "juice" (for lack of a better word) about half way between a neutral pH and a very acid pH, the beans turn purple. Go to really, really acid and they turn red.

When heat is applied, anthocyans are deactivated, allowing the green chlorophyll, which was there all along, to show. So the beans go into the pot purple and come out green. So sad. We need more purple food.

I went from being distracted by purple beans to being distracted by asking Could I make a movie in my own kitchen? Yes, I can, but it takes an incredible amount of time. It’s amazing how wonderfully distracted I can be on a hot August day.

Next week I promise I'll be back in the grove, writing those final three chapters.