Home-Grown Tomatoes

There is a great song that says "There's only two things can't buy, true love and home-grown tomatoes". Truly, there is nothing as sweet as home-grown toms and thanks to Cindy, I'm up to my ears in them.

Although I had to pick them green due to an early frost, every one has ripen quite nicely in my kitchen. This spring Cindy gave me seven tomato plants that she started from seeds. I carefully drove the precious cargo from Utah to Custer and planted them in the garden about two weeks after Cindy planted her toms in her garden in Oakley, Utah. It was great comparing our two gardens this summer and how the plants differed in the two different climates. Unfortunately my Brandywines didn't produce anything - Cindy's did. My Orange Toms did great, as well as the Oregons. But the best are the Green Zebras - they remain greenish yellow when fully ripe and are as sweet as Skittles! When I was a kid visiting my grandparents in the summer in California my grandma taught me how to eat her home-growns over the kitchen sink (to minimize the mess). Every time I eat one now I think of her.

In other news... I've had a rough time since the accident. My neck and back were pretty painful and caused four migraines but everything is slowly getting better now. I spent the weekend in Rapid City with Scott's family. Loretta hosted a huge "rummage sale" (that's a Midwest term for "yard sale" ). Sisters Karen, Dianne and Lisa were there as well and we had a great time. I was pretty much just in the way but they didn't complain :-) After the sale Loretta took us all out to dinner and then we went to Karen's house for coffee and Baileys. I haven't laughed that hard in so long! It was the first time that I got to hang with all the Malon women all at once - the Malon men were at the ranch for the weekend.

Scott's brother Craig came up from Denver and it was great to see him, also. Scott and I stayed at the cabin with him one night last week and I got to hang out in Rapid with a bunch. He took me to lunch at Bully's - a great little coffee house and we did a little window shopping downtown. He is having brain surgery on October 2nd to remove a tumor on his pituitary gland. It's way more complicated than mine was but he's got the best attitude about it and will be skiing again in no time! Scott and I are going to see him in Denver after his surgery on our way to the desert.

As soon as we figure out our fall trip schedule I'll let all the Utahans now the exact dates. We're hoping the car will be fixed in time!