You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto

This spring, when I visited the nursery to pick up seedlings for the garden, I knew I wanted to try my hand at slicing tomatoes. I had never been very successful with larger varieties of tomatoes, usually losing them to blossom rot or struggling with underproduction, so I tended to stick to smaller varieties, such as grape and yellow pear.

To my delight, the nursery had a large selection of heirloom tomatoes, as well as the usual Romas and Big Boys, so I chose several heirloom slicers, as well as grabbing two dark cherry tomato plants and a yellow pear, for old times' sake.

I planted the seedlings in a section of my raised beds that I normally reserve for butternut squash, so I could utilize the cattle panel trellis that arches over it. I also watched numerous TikTok videos on how to properly stake, prune, and trellis the plants, which I believe contributed to the success I am seeing this year.

I could not be more pleased. In addition to tons of the smaller cherry tomatoes, I am harvesting slicers on the regular. And, while it took a while for them to begin to ripen, thanks to the heat we have experienced this summer, they are all on track, now.

I learned a tip about harvesting the fruits just as they start to blush and are slightly soft to the touch when gently squeezed. Once they are cut from the vine, they ripen quite nicely on the countertop.

When I say I have had a successful harvest, I am not kidding. I have had plenty of tomatoes for my personal consumption, plus extra to give to friends and family, which I'm always happy to do.

In addition to looking pretty (in an ugly heirloom way), the tomatoes are delicious. I've eaten them on sandwiches, and in Caprese and pasta salads, and I have yet to tire of the flavor.

I will definitely revisit heirlooms again next summer.

One Year Later

One year ago, today, I was walking the Man-Cub down the aisle to marry his sweetheart. It's hard to believe that an entire year has come and gone, but it is true what they say: the days are long but the years are short. I always thought that sentiment was reserved for mothers with babies, but I'm learning that it also holds true for mothers of young adults.

I wrote several posts about the wedding last year, but I don't believe I ever got around to sharing some of my favorite photos taken by the photographer, so I hope you will indulge me as I do so now. And, if other people's weddings aren't your thing, I completely respect your right to scroll on. No judgement.

While the Cub and I were waiting to start our journey down the aisle, he started to tear up. Luckily, I had tissues and was able to help him out. Surprisingly, I didn't cry, myself. In fact, I was smiling the entire time, so much so that Bethany told me later that, if she doesn't look that happy on her sons' wedding days, she's not having it.

I wasn't the only one smiling that day; I hadn't seen Emily this happy in a very long time. She'd been struggling with some health issues, and her trials had really gotten her down. This smile was a welcome sight.

Summer weddings in Colorado are always a gamble, weather-wise, but we certainly did get lucky. And, having so many family members join us under the summer sun was a tremendous blessing. 

In addition to family, we had so many friends on hand to celebrate with us, including the wedding party; I loved that the Cub had Mikey at his side, and getting to know Shanti's best friend Frankie has been one of life's precious joys.

 

A moment for that floral arch that did double duty at the ceremony and reception. I busted my ass on that bad boy.

The kids spent their anniversary weekend at a boutique hotel in Ouray, where I'm hoping they had a good time. I'm also hoping the freezer burn didn't affect the wedding cake they saved, and that it still tasted good, but I somehow doubt they were too worried about that.

They say the first year of marriage is the hardest, and I sincerely pray that's true; if so, these kids will have a truly blessedly happy life together, because they sailed through the past twelve months more in love than ever.

And that's my favorite thing of all.

So Far In August...

I have gotten even worse at keeping up with this blog, if that's actually possible, considering how hit or miss I have been at posting the last few years. As always, I blame it on the dullness of my life since the blog content grew up and moved out of the house.

Speaking of the empty nest, this past week, Hugh's sister visited from Chicago. She was on a mission to pare down some of Oscar and Emily's belongings for an eventual sale of their house. While going through old pictures, she found this gem...

...that would be Hugh's senior photo collage. Since I've never known Hugh when he didn't have a mustache, these pictures both cracked me up and finally convinced me that the Man-Cub shares DNA with his father (aside from the obvious fact that Hugh is, indeed, the child's father) because I was able to confirm that they share the same lips.

As an aside, the original owner of the lip structure (see below) is currently en route to another wildland fire in a town about three hours away. 

Did I know he was going on another two- to three-week deployment? No, no, I did not. When did I learn this fact? Last night, when I got home from Bunco at Mom's house. Am I happy with this blindsiding announcement and hasty departure? Again, no. Am I willing to overlook my irritation for the safety of the communities currently in the path of the wildfire? Sigh. Of Course.

I'm just grateful that the deployment didn't happen last week, which would have meant Hugh missing out on time with his sister, who spent one night of her visit overnighting with us. We enjoyed grilled pizzas on the porch and got caught up on her life and the lives of her two sons.

The night before she stayed with us, we hosted the entire family, plus Mom, on the porch for a three-meat feast (beef, chicken, and shrimp). We were missing Queen B, but she was with us in spirit.

The older I get, the more precious I find time spent with extended family. We were fortunate to have the whole crew at the wedding last summer, and I hope we have many more opportunities to gather together while we are all still on this Earth.

When I haven't been entertaining friends and family (Erin was in Hooterville this week to pick up the last of her belongings from her and Kristi's storage shed, and we had a chance to get together for a charcuterie board on the porch; I didn't take any pictures, which was a missed opportunity), I have been tending the garden, where I am finally starting to see some of my tomatoes ripening. I am ridiculously proud of these fruits! I haven't had much luck with large tomatoes historically, so seeing these beauties thrive in the garden has been a favorite part of my summer.

I have watched countless videos and read numerous articles on how to ensure the proper ripening of tomatoes, and I am now sold on the suggestion to remove the tomatoes from the vine once the fruit starts to blush and is slightly soft when gently squeezed. Allowing them to complete the ripening process on the countertop has resulted in tomatoes with no splits or cracks and zero damage from pests.

I cut into one of the tomatoes and used it on sandwiches; it was possibly the best tomato that I have ever eaten.

This pretty much wraps up my August so far. I'm working, I'm gardening, I'm feeding approximately one million hummingbirds, and I'm learning how to be a fire widow. So far, it's similar to being a wrestling official widow, but with higher stakes.

I'll let you know how it goes.