By Linda called Monday evening while I was on the porch watching the heat lightning above the Snowies. The Derek piece is finished. She's submitting it to an online grief journal — "The Grief Review," she said, which I'd never heard of but which she described as serious and widely read by the people who need it. She read me the title: "The Summer He Wasn't There." I told her it was the right title. She said she'd been arguing with herself about it for a month.
I didn't ask her to read any of it aloud. I've read enough of what I know about Derek in the years since to understand that her grief is its own country and I was only ever a visitor to its borders. What I told her was that finishing it was the important thing, regardless of who reads it, and she said: "I know. That's why I did it." There was something in her voice that I've been trying to name ever since — it's not relief exactly, not closure, which is a word I've always distrusted. More like she put something down that she'd been carrying with both hands and was now walking upright again.
Fourth of July weekend. Cole and Tara came up Friday, and we ran a small fireworks display off the back pasture the way Patrick used to do when we were kids. He sat in his chair on the porch and watched with his hands in his lap, and I watched him more than I watched the sky. He looked content in the specific way of people who have earned the right not to need anything to be different than it is.
I made ribs on Saturday — a long, patient smoke on the outdoor grill starting at ten in the morning, then wrapped in foil for two hours, then unwrapped for the last hour to set the bark. Coleslaw made with yogurt instead of mayonnaise because the heat was too much for a heavy dressing. We ate on the back porch and the day was the kind of Fourth of July that gets preserved in memory the way the tomatoes get put up in August: whole, sealed, good for a long time.
Mariposa let me brush her face today without flinching. Small milestone. Big calendar item.
The ribs took all day, the way good things do, and the coleslaw was cool and bright against the heat — but what I keep coming back to is the feeling of that table, the porch, the people who showed up and stayed. A Low Country Boil carries that same spirit: everything in one pot, nothing fussy, the kind of meal that says the company matters more than the ceremony. It’s what I’d make again for a weekend like that one — and probably will.
Low Country Boil
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 4 quarts water
- 1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning, plus more for serving
- 1 lb smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch rounds
- 2 lbs small red potatoes, halved if large
- 4 ears fresh corn, husked and broken into thirds
- 2 lbs large shrimp, shell-on and deveined
- 1 lemon, halved
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Cocktail sauce and melted butter, for serving
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring the pot to a boil. Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water. Squeeze the lemon halves into the water and drop them in. Add the Old Bay seasoning, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Cook the potatoes. Add the red potatoes to the boiling water. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until just beginning to soften but not fully tender.
- Add the sausage and corn. Add the andouille sausage rounds and corn pieces to the pot. Return to a boil and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the corn is tender and the sausage is heated through.
- Add the shrimp. Add the shrimp to the pot in a single layer as best you can. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the shrimp turn pink and curl. Do not overcook.
- Drain and spread. Drain the pot through a large colander. Spread the contents directly onto a newspaper-lined or parchment-lined table, or pile onto a large rimmed sheet pan.
- Season and serve. Sprinkle generously with additional Old Bay seasoning and fresh parsley. Serve immediately with melted butter, cocktail sauce, and plenty of napkins.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 980mg