Summer Kitchen Strategy

My mom had a habit of getting up early on those summer days that started hot and only got hotter like today, to do her cooking early. She did her preemptive boiling at dawn. She'd boil a dozen eggs to use later for deviled eggs -- hers were zingy with mayo, sharp mustard, bit of vinegar, the perfunctory paprika. She boiled potatoes, so they could cool in the fridge and turn into potato salad by the end of the day. The last boiling water was for real iced tea -- which was hot at dawn and ice cold by lunch.

She used to sit on the porch steps with us on those real scorchers that ended in rain by evening. She'd sing "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from The Fantastics to us kids and watch the heat lightning that would bring a cooler breeze.