Sometimes it's all about small treasures bringing great pleasure. After we finally got some sun and warmer weather the tomatoes began to ripen. Each day now I bring in a bowl of cherry tomatoes and a few Sunny Boys and something else. I chose all small varieties this year.
Next spring I plan to have a line of Topsy Turvy tomatoes hanging from the edge of the upper deck trellis and call it an old folks' garden and be done with it... and I can't wait!
I'm so excited, the first three Topsy-Turvy tomatoes are visible, just as the manufacturer said would happen!
This one is the largest. What's even more impressive is that the T-T tomatoes are ahead of the traditional down-in-the-soil kind.
Why didn't I think of inventing this?
I knew today was going to be a good one before I even got out of bed. An east-facing window bounced light off a prism, sending scores of dancing rainbows out into the room, a good sign, that.
Even little kids draw rainbows as one of their first acts of creation, one of life's little pleasures that seems to continue onward through the decades. Here in Wine Country, we see lots of rainbows, usually when storms are ending. They poise above the vineyards as soon as the sun pokes through the clouds and, by then, I'm running for a camera to memorialize the scene.
Before I saw the prism lights this morning, I saw the sun. I knew my schedule would keep me anchored in my home, no driving today. If I wanted to, I could make today a Productive Day. The chickens were already sprung from their coop - Steve has added that to his morning chores - and they were looking for bugs under a bush, productive girls that they are. The one task for the weekend has got to be to build the run for their big-girl coop.
Walking is another act of productivity in my little world. I need the exercise and so do the dogs. On days like today when I'm working from home, it's easy to spin around the little block of an island that faces our front door. It's a seven-minute trek, a great transition activity in between clients and household tasks. If I walk that circuit just three times I can rack up one more mile...
This year we will have enough string beans to make it worthwhile. Last year I was so excited about Square Foot Gardening that I planted far too many kinds of vegetables, but only a little bit of each. What can you do with five beans except toss them in the soup? This year.....
People keep asking me if the Topsy-Turvy tomato growing method actually works. I'm probably not the one to ask since this is my first season using that format. But the three plants that are hanging upside down on my back deck are all flourishing - see all the little yellow flowers? - and my intention is to buy even more for next summer.
On the subject of soup, mid-morning today I made a great pot of lentil bean soup with a ham bone I bought from the country ham shop in Santa Rosa. Oh, the soup was delicious - it was my lunch - and reminded me that even though Steve loves to cook and does most evenings, I can still enjoy a pot of freshly made anything, even in the summer.
I'm obsessed with this weight loss program I'm on. I've been spending an exorbitant amount of time thinking about food and planning the next meal. Sounds like an addict, doesn't it?
I am so determined to be successful and have a list of ten tools I use every day, one of which is drawing every morsel I consume.
So far, it's working. I've lost a few pounds, I'm out there walking (2.2 miles today) and my dogs are grateful. But I have a ways to go and this will take a while.
I need to get back to other kinds of drawing in addition to maintaining a visual food journal.
I've also been getting my vegetable garden set up for the season. I use the Square Foot Gardening method so each square is planted separately.
So far I've planted 16 square feet of pole and bush beans and I set out the eight bell pepper plants I started indoors by seed. I have three tomato plants in Topsy-Turvy planters (hanging upside down) and one has several yellow flowers on it so I think it's going to work.
Last year, I was so excited about Square Foot Gardening, which was new to me then, that I planted for too many different veggies but not enough of any one thing. This year I'm going to have a much more limited menu, but hopefully what I plant will actually be sufficiently abundant to actually feed this family. To be continued...
