Book Break with Delicious Banana Bread

A hail storm swept through Saturday evening and wiped out half the garden. No pictures as I was both dazzled by nature's beautiful power and saddened as pieces of damaged flowers fell to the ground. Windows rattled and the pounding upon the roof made it impossible to hear anything except the hail.

The storm didn't last long, and the damage was confined, surprisingly, to the yards. As the torrent subsided, we opened the doors to let in the cool air, courtesy of the giant bits of ice balls every...