Drying the walnuts

No snow, days continue unseasonably warm, and we are drying out the walnuts in the sun on the veranda. Everyone complains about the lack of snow, but there is a bright side to the situation. The nuts come from a neighbor's tree, down the road. We gathered them off the ground, buried in their black outer skins, hiding under fallen leaves that no one rakes. The skins fall off and we dry them on these racks, from France and used to dry plums for prunes for packaging and taking to market. The racks let the air get underneath, to avoid mold developing.

I simply like sitting and admiring the wood and shell and sky and peak: the textures and tones of the world. The walnuts are lovely to eat, all winter long.