A Walk In the Woods, January 1919

Mar 20

Chapter 26

The new term at Cornell was to begin in two weeks.

Franklin had enjoyed the time during the holidays with his family. He loved them and was deeply devoted to them. Being home was a point where he could stop, settle and take stock of his life. He came to two major conclusions.

As bucolic as his home and the woods were around him were, they no longer held a permanent sway over him. He strolled the woods and visited the creek he loved as a child. The connection was somehow lost. He sat by the creek bank and ate a simple lunch. He noted the solitude and the din of quietness was deafening.

In the icy water of the creek was a school of tadpoles. He mused that they all had a destiny. Some would grow to adulthood and sing glories songs along the bank of the creek. Others would be eaten by the salamanders that inhabited the same water. He knew that he wanted to grow and flourish and not be eaten alive by the complacency of a confined space. He would have to live elsewhere than the Georgia countryside. He loved New York. He loved the bustle and the dynamic people he had met. There he found like minded people who knew that life was not meant to be static and left to chance but charged with electricity and determination to live life to the fullest.

Also, during this time of reflection, he determined that settling down and starting a family was not for him. He realized that bachelorhood would be his course in life. He loved the idea of being spontaneous and having the flexibility to go and come as he chose. A life in Savannah would have been his first choice, but he knew that it would not last and he would do a tremendous disservice to anyone he chose in that life path.

In the pocket of his knock-around tweed jacket, he found a letter written by his friend, Sebastian. It contained an invitation for Franklin to visit him in Washington, DC. Sebastian’s father had been newly appointed as the Ambassador from Cuba and there was to be a party at the embassy to welcome him and his family. Sebastian wrote the only way he could get through the affair was to have his close friend by his side.

It was the start of an insightful and propitious year.

Blue Cheese & Fig Preserve Crostini

This incredibly easy recipe for blue cheese and our Southern Conserve Fig Preserve with crostini makes a perfect flavorful appetizer, or even a light lunch or supper.

INGREDIENTS

24 thin slices baguette (from 1 small loaf)
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 c. Southern Conserve Fig Preserves
4 oz. blue cheese, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 400° F.

Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and brush both sides of the bread with the oil. Bake until just crisp, about 10 minutes.

Spread the Fig Preserves on the toasts and top with the cheese. And you’ve made crostini!