This Is Not My Garden, But I Like The Fence

My tomato plants are struggling to stay alive long enough to ripen the loads of tomatoes still on the vines.  I bring in the ones that have some pink, so they can ripen here in the house.  Each day I fill my basket with more.  The peppers have started to change from green to red.  I have containers full of jalapeños.  I need to make salsa and perhaps "cheat" with some corn chips.  I know I can buy corn chips that are healthy.

The garden will be moving into September with spaghetti squash turning from white to golden yellow. With pole beans getting big on the bean teepees.  With onions ready to pull, even if they are small. The kale seeds I sprinkled over the empty garlic bed are a few inches tall right now, but they enjoy a good frost to sweeten the leaves so I have time to wait for them to grow.  I think I saw a few tiny, tiny carrot whispers germinated in amongst the kale.  G thinks he may have seen them too.  I am hoping the cucumber plants I started with seed in June will produce a few more cucumbers in the coming week or two.  If not, the vines will enrich the compost pile.  My parsley is looking robust.  My basil plants are making "just enough" leaves for the twice weekly tomato and fresh mozzarella salads.  I'm not sure we like pesto.  I think I had it once on a sandwich of olive bread and mozzarella.  On that, it was delicious.

Work was slow and sort of sad today.  The high school kids are off to college.  The high school kids are no longer on the schedule.  Other, older "kids" are finding better jobs while trying to afford community college for a year or two.  Saying goodbye at my age is such a sad experience.  I am a very sentimental old lady.  I miss them all already.  They make my days so lively and interesting.  Make me forget how old I am.  Help me remember when I was their age.

G and I just returned from eating at the restaurant with the great Eggplant Special.  Eggplant Milanese. G typed the menu description into his iPhone and sent it to me via email.  Baby spinach, Italian baked eggplant, red peppers, ricotta, spinach, provolone with pompodora sauce.  I will be trying to make it here at home.  I have a jar of Trader Joe's red peppers in the cupboard until my garden peppers turn red. I managed to spill some down the front of my blue linen shirt.  Ugh.  The Sunday Special Margarita was still $3 and still delicious.

Now, my book and PBS Masterpiece Mystery.  A very nice Sunday.