All Good Things arrives a day early this week because I'll be in Martha's Vineyard on Monday without my computer. My last big hurrah of summer will be spent in one of my favorite places on the globe!

What's your last big hurrah of summer? And what's your favorite place on the globe? (I'd love to know in the comments!) You've still got a few good weeks of the season left, so if you can't pick up and travel to that favorite location, perhaps you can take some time for yourself to travel there in your mind. In your memories. In your dreams.

When I was a kid, all I seemed to do was read. Now I admire and I am jealous of my friends that still find the time to dive into a book. As an adult, my summers slow down when clients go out of town, so I usually tackle a big book during this time. I just finished Andrew Doerrs' All The Light We Cannot See. Have you read it? Germany, Paris, Nazi take overs, brilliant children making their way in the world during that tumultuous time. I highly recommend it. (As does the Pulitzer Prize committee!)

The title All The Light We Cannot See has me thinking about the big total eclipse of the sun happening this week. Did you get your glasses? Do you have your afternoon viewing spot planned out? I'll be on The Vineyard with an eclipse viewing enthusiast.

I'll be honest, I think I will have more of an experiential eclipse than a visual one. My research of the event has turned up too much information on eye damage. So I will sit in the partial and brief darkness next to my friends in their glasses. And I will offer my hopes and dreams to all of the sunlight that will temporarily disappear from view.

I'm treating this event as a time of renewal and a kickoff to the upcoming seasons of fall and winter. I want to use this solar energy to charge my intentions for the future. I will welcome in the new energy as a clean slate to visualize my last four months of the year. (And to bring potency to my prayers for world peace!)

I'm celebrating this eclipse by sharing a recipe that includes nightshades. How appropriate because that afternoon we'll have a moment of shade that will resemble the night! Nightshades are part of the Solanaceae plant family and include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and potatoes. I'm using Pomora Olive Oil for this recipe. Earlier this summer I wrote about adopting an olive tree and benefitting with a year of olive oil. Here is that link again as a reminder if you are thinking about gifting a tree/olive oil subscription to a loved one or treating yourself.

Here are some of the reported health benefits of nightshades.

Many types of nightshades are high in potassium, which is important to balance the sodium levels within your body.
Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene which has been linked with the prevention of cancer and osteoporosis.
Brightly colored vegetables are high in antioxidants, and these compounds fight free radical activity within the body.

Pairing these vegetables with a rich healthy fat like olive oil is going to help with inflammation as well. Wins all around!

Happy eclipse! (Protect your eyes!) Wishing you all good things as you welcome in your own personal new solar energy for the last hurrah of summer!