Julia M. OBrien

The August 23, 2009, issue of The New York Times Magazine was devoted to how women are faring around the world—their political status, economic standing, and health.

This weekend, my husband and I saw Julie and Julia (click for a link to the official website). The film is Nora Ephron's adaptation of two books: Julia Child's memoir My Life in France; and Julie Powell's Julie and Julia, which follows Powell's quest to prepare all 524 recipes in Childs' Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 365 days and to blog about her experience.

The end of summer is always difficult for me.  My vegetable garden shrinks, in size and in its contribution to my physical and emotional well-being.  At some point, I'll have to break down and buy a store-bought tomato with the texture of cardboard and scramble to find fresh rosemary.  We won't roast vegetables or salmon on the grill.  And the spirituality of gardening will need to enter its dormant stage until May.

Summer's end also initiates Winter Dread, an affliction common to transplanted Southerners.

This summer has not been kind to my backyard garden.  After a few weeks of prolific production, my squash and cucumber plants succumbed to powdery mildew.  Now, just as they are supposed to ripen in full glory, my tomatoes (the bread and butter of my garden) are waging war with late blight.  It’s been too wet here in south central Pennsylvania.  Not hot enough.

I ended my last post with a research question:  how much religion would I see reflected in the book/magazine section of my suburban supermarket?