Yesterday we went apple picking and pumpkin selecting at Jaswell's Farm with a friend of ours and his daughter, who is a year younger than Julia. The two girls get along really well, and they leave Alex alone, and we adults don't have to get involved in any altercations, so everyone's happy.
Actually, it doesn’t always strike. Sometimes it just whispers. Or waves to you from somewhere off to your right and you just catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of your eye, so you turn, and there it is.
My mother got this recipe from a friend of hers, and for years it's been my "birthday cake" of choice. Served it chilled, with some fresh whipped cream (or not) it's perfect on a hot July day.