Home grown -------

It's 

TOMATO

 TIME!

My next door neighbor is sharing his harvest with me,

meaning I'm not buying many tomatoes from the store or market 

right now.

In return I water and give some TLC to the plants when he is out

of town during the growing season. We've done this several years

in succession and it works well for both of us. Of course I also kitty

sit for him too so don't feel guilty picking his tomatoes. . . . or having

 him pop over with a handful of just picked ones around supper time.

My first thought always is what to do with so many tomatoes all at once.

As they pile up in bowls ripening on the kitchen island I get nervous, so

 out come baking dishes, saucepans, salad bowls and such. . . . . . . and

I get to work 'doing something' with them! 

 After all that TLC in the past few months I feel I must continue to be kind

 to each tomato now grown into such a beautiful fruit in spite of wind, rain, 

burning sun, munching deer, pecking birds. . . . . and an aging gardener

 in a floppy sunhat stopping to water and talk to them, encourage them, and 

bring them along from little yellow flowers to brilliant shades of orange, 

red and gold tasty fruits.

Tuscan Panzanella Salad -

- and, as I recently made Focaccia bread and have leftovers in the

 freezer, I'm going to try using it in what is a favorite Italian tomato salad 

for a very hot summer day.

"Buon Appettito"

Home baked Focaccia Bread

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating

a homegrown tomato."

Hope you are growing tomatoes, or someone is sharing

a harvest with you. Photos of my tomato dishes prepared

and enjoyed in past summer seasons.

Sunday in the wildlife 'park'. . . . . . . . . .

This morning's visitor to the bird feeder!

I raised the dining room blinds and there she stood, so beautiful and silent,

staring right at me - fortunately my camera was on the table and I managed

a few shots.

Last year, I shared photos here of a somewhat younger (spots on rump) visiting
 white-tailed doe. 
She had scars from a fresh injury on her right side above her front leg and up

 her neck. My friend Gina noticed them in the photos and thought perhaps she

 had been hit by a car. Be certain to visit Gina's amazing blog Art and Alfalfa 
if you haven't done so yet. It's so beautiful where she lives and she is a lovely, 
multi-talented artist.

Looking closely, I'm thinking the now faint marks on her fur below the sunflower

 leaves, in the same area, could be the healed scars. If so, I'm so happy she has

 survived. . . . . . . even though she's gobbling up the garden!

After realizing I'd seen her, she moved on across the lawn, took a quick

 nibble at the hydrangea plant behind the acer. . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . then trampled through the now almost dead sunflowers which she's

 enjoyed, and destroyed, for a couple of weeks. . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . .on to my neighbor Bob's tomatoes where she nibbled the

 leaves. I picked all the ripe fruits yesterday - he's away and gave me

 permission to take any or all rather than have them rot. . . . . lucky me.

At that point I opened the door and told her to leave. Here she is

taking such dainty steps across the road to a neighbor next to

 the wooded area of the cul-de-sac. We think perhaps she hangs

 out there where there is a small creek for a water source.

Remember now, we don't live in the countryside. These deer and other

 wildlife are losing their natural homes due to land being built on all around us. 

They have nowhere else to go. We've lived in this house 32 years

 and never saw a deer in our garden until just a couple of years ago when

 construction took off big time.

Close by, we now have office towers, retail shops, apartments, condos, 

and huge high-priced houses where small ranch homes used to stand

in our neat and tidy, heavily wooded neighborhood.

Apparently it's called 'progress' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Anticipation. . . . . . . . .

My tomato flowers are really quite pretty - and hopefully will provide us with 

some tasty fruit in the next couple of months.

We have a small tomato plot this year - plus one red bell pepper plant and a few 

butternut squash tucked in (seeds from last Autumn's squash). 

As we have travels which will take us away we can't plant much in case there's no rain.  

Today I'm tying up the tomatoes which are now so tall. I'm also fertilizing before

  regular watering. Non-stop garden chores at this time of year.

Tonight's salad will be welcome - and will include these scallions I grew alongside

 chives in a big pot - as the temperature reaches 90F yet again.

Sunscreen, sun hats and water required!