Watermelon

My solution to the trials of life is eating watermelon. This is not a year-round cure-all. It only works now, in hot weather. That is when the melons are ripe, the moon is beaming and a breeze is at your back. On such evenings, I take a bite of a sweet slice of watermelon and enjoy its unique succulent flavor. Then I toss my head back, eye the moon and, with my tongue and a strong sense of purpose, I send a watermelon seed hurtling into the distance. On such occasions, the world seems right.

Did you know that the prickly pear, a large, egg-shaped fruit, is really a berry? Once you cut into the fruit, you'll note the small seeds similar to those in many types of berries, says Elizabeth Schneider in Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables: A Commonsense Guide. The fruit is found on cactuses that grow in Mexico, the southwestern United States and elsewhere. It goes by other names, including cactus pear, Barbary fig and "tuna" in Spanish. It looks like a cactus because of its sharp needles poking out of the skin.

Gazpacho, that quintessential summer soup, comes in all colors and flavors. In addition to the traditional red hued, tomato-based original, I've seen recipes for white gazpachos made with cucumbers, and for green ones prepared with scallions and verdant herbs. Some versions are assembled with almonds, while a few "nouvel" variations include additions of shellfish or prosciutto. Last year in a small Parisian bistro, I sampled the most unusual creation to date -- a watermelon gazpacho. A delicious deep rose, the soup was served icy cold and was so enticing on a warm summer night that I asked if the chef would share the recipe.

Edwin Mulitalo started all but one game last year at left guard for the Ravens and is entering his eighth NFL season. The Ravens threw for a 59.6 percent pass completion rate and rushed for 1,605 yards behind Mulitalo's blocking. You bring a ukulele to practice. When do you like to play? "Usually in between practices I like to get back to the room. We'll have an hour and I just like to relax and play some island tunes." Do your teammates enjoy your playing? "I hope so. I usually do it in my room and if they hear me in the hallway, well ... This year I got a room at the end of the hallway so it should be all right if I don't play that loud."

You could make a case for watermelon as the most fun and happy fruit. Fun? Sure. Just rub down a 10-pounder with some Coppertone, toss it into a pool along with a few kids and see what happens. Or give them each a greased mini-melon to race with across the pool. Later, accompany dessert of watermelon with a seed-spitting competition. And who could find a happier Citrullus lanatus (that's watermelon by another name) than one that's been plugged and spiked with vodka? The United States grows hundreds of watermelon varieties.

THE QUESTION With gruesome special effects easier than ever (and on full display in Saw II), we wonder: Are today's movies scarier than classic chillers or less so? WHAT YOU SAY The films coming out today are far from scary. Perhaps if the people making these movies would pay attention to the movie behind the special effects, the box office would be doing better. CHRISTINA MAZZETTA, ABINGDON Scariness or fear is not created with "special effects," but rather evolved through imagination and anticipation on the big screen.

A couple of years ago, Dave Lieberman was just another college student. OK, he was a good-looking Yale University student who also just happened to know how to cook. In his senior year, he had his own cooking show on a cable-access channel and operated a catering business. The New York Times' Amanda Hesser featured him in a story, and before you know it, the Food Network came knocking at his door. Lieberman, 25, now has his own cooking show, Good Deal With Dave Lieberman, and his first cookbook, Young & Hungry (Hyperion, 2005, $22.95)

Lily Mae Romans of Baltimore remembers that when she was a child her mother used to save the watermelon rind and make preserves out of it. She used to have her mother's recipe but has lost it. Beth Edelstein from Timonium had several recipes in her collection for these preserves, even one that first appeared in The Sun in the '30s. She uses a recipe taken from the Southern Heritage Gift Recipes Cookbook, published in 1985. She says that these wonderful preserves are "great with ham and turnip greens and a must with fried okra and hot biscuits."

How does ordering from Peapod stack up against shopping at your local Giant store? If you're willing to pay a bit more - not only for delivery, but for some products - having groceries appear in your kitchen can feel like a busy person's dream come true. But if you want to pay the lowest price for everything and if you'd miss the chance to watch the human comedy, you might prefer the store. We decided to compare the two shopping methods by scheduling a Peapod delivery for a recent Saturday morning.

Rare sips Veuve ClicquotM-Fs La Grande Dame 1996 will be released this fall in style M-y packaged in a box and label created by Italian designer Emilio Pucci. PucciM-Fs bold print was inspired by the curvaceous bottle and the celebratory yellow that identifies the House of Veuve Clicquot. The limited-edition Champagne will be available in fine wine shops nationwide for a suggested retail price of $200. Wake up to watermelon SummerM-Fs winding down, but donM-Ft be blue. Hold on to summer a little longer with easy watermelon recipes.