we had the best tomato plant ever. for us anyway. we planted it in one of our boutique garden cages that came with the place. rain was forecast for today so i harvested all the tomatoes and put the vine in the compost. that's a red pepper visible up there. alas, the bugs got it.
these are now a memory, having been eaten or quartered and frozen.
the last harvest, ripening in the window.in other news from chez bums i am doing well with the second round of chemo. no rash, but a few mouth sores, more annoying than painful. spicy food burns a bit going down my throat. and i sometimes feel very fuzzy mentally. more than usual. i napped today covered by my wonderful quilt. it warms my heart and the warmth spreads thru all of me. thanks again to all involved.
also..... i have started preparing a site for a sauna by attacking the hard clay to make a bit of levelness. pick and shovel work. i recall somewhere a reference to a pickaxe as a misery whip. i like to consider it one of my aerobic workout machines.
Nice to hear from you that you're feeling well. You definately are staying busy.
ReplyDeleteTomato sandwich time!
Sauna's are a wonderful way to sweat it all out. So funny to see your tomato plants...ours were pretty much done at the end of August ..course, we don't live in California either.
ReplyDeletepurdiful toms, those. I can almost smell them through cyber space.
ReplyDeletehope you find something soothing for your mouth -- I wondered if certain foods would aggravative it. Ouch.
you are a wonder, out there with a pick axe -- not on my healthiest day could I ever wield one of them things. Don't wear yourself out, now!
Such beautiful tomatoes!!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to know that you feel well enough to take a pick axe to the hard ground!
spicy food burns a bit going down my throat I got news for you: Spicy food always burns a bit going down my throat!
ReplyDeleteYou can take comfort that you, on chemo, are stronger than most of us in the best of health.
Yet another thing to envy: You still have fresh local tomatoes. So good that you have that good nutrition going into your body!
Hi Roger! (and Robin, of course)
ReplyDeleteLove the tomato cage, and the photos of the ripening crop made me wish I was sitting at your kitchen table. I would love to peek inside your freezer!
The best crop we ever had was of Black Crims, Arkansas Travelers and Uglis. We took the grower's advice and dug in a little sheep manure when we transplanted the young plants.
Here is a suggestion for the mouth sores. Have your dentist or doc give you a prescription for 1/2 liquid benedryl and 1/2 liquid maalox. (You might be able to buy the ingredients yourself, but it would probably be a good idea to check with your docs first) Just swish gently or even just hold it in your mouth to bathe the sores. When I had shingles on my face and in my mouth it gave me such relief. I could hardly talk or swallow without crying.
I don't envy you the groundwork you are doing for the sauna. We have hard red clay here in SE Tennessee and I have spent more time than I care to remember with a mattock and rake. :)
Great news roger and so glad the side effects were tolerable.
ReplyDeleteThink you are going to love the sauna. Quite a project.
Enjoy those tomatoes, can almost smell them.
Great report. I am thinking our garden is near its end also. The sauna sounds like a great project
ReplyDeletehey, beautiful maters!
ReplyDeleteglad you feel well enough to chip at clay.
that is a good sign.
Glad this round is going better.
ReplyDeleteOh, the loss of summer tomatoes! Such a sad thing indeed. Nothing can duplicate them.
Those are some bodacious deer-proof planting beds!
ReplyDeleteVery glad to hear that the chemo is going well, or at least uneventfully.
Good news. You sound so chipper. The sauna will come in handy in its time, you get snow, I think. Lots sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWell, our tomatoes wer small but sweet. And we harvested lots of potatoes, I can always count on them as long as I don't neglect them.
ReplyDeleteI think the exercise/work is great, you do what you judge is enough.
sweet harvest, and so good the chemo's going well.
ReplyDeleteall i can remember about mouth sores is to go with blander foods, less acids and avoid hot spices. lots of water, of course. something topical like ambesol might help for particular spots. and this too shall pass. xoxo
Good to hear from you, roger, and to hear that you have the energy to do the work you love. I love when it's harvest time for you and robin. Things grow for you two!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear things are going relatively smoothly without too many side effects. I certainly hope it stays that way for you.
ReplyDeleteThose are some beautiful tomatoes.
Cheers to you both!
Good that you're feeling well! I love the tomatoes. Too bad you can't send one through the blogosphere! They look delicious!
ReplyDeleteour summer was so cool we did not have even ONE ripe tomato. we are jealous of your haul!
ReplyDeleteso glad your body is handling the chemo well. how many more rounds do you have scheduled?
hope you are giving yourself total permission to be lazy and rest while your body is undergoing these treatments - napping sounds perfect! in fact, i am about to take one right now on this 48 degree, wet sunday.