Alpha and Omega of tomatoes

The Alpha of Topsy-Turvey Planter The Omega of Topsy-Turvey Planter--see the red tomatoes? No they are hiding, but there are two about 3/4ths of the way down.

The alpha of my garden tomato plant
The OMEGA of my garden tomato plant! It's taking over the entire garden!


I picked and ate my first red tomato from my plants a few days ago. Even though it was a little tomato, it did have a very good homegrown taste. I noticed that two from the Topsy-Turvey planter are getting red, so I'll have some more to eat soon.

The Topsy-Turvey needs water at least twice a day. On hot dry days, the leaves wilt quickly. I forget often, and always hope for revival, which it has done. The only problem is that there is blossom end rot on the tomatoes, which I think comes from uneven watering. My fault, my bad!

The garden tomato continues to grow longer, lankier, and puts out more flowers each day. It is just getting going and soon we'll have frosts! I have a portable greenhouse somewhere buried in my shed, I'd better get that out and put it together to maybe keep the plants alive to ripen the rest of the tomatoes.

My little squash plant is trying to produce, but the small fruits are rotting before they get more than 2" long. I don't know why, unless they are getting too much water. I got my lawn reseeded last week, and the directions were to water it every day. Perhaps it is too much water for the squash. I have a sprinkler system, so there is no way I can control NOT WATERING this one plant.

It has been a fun experiment, and next year I'll get started earlier, and maybe my crop will come in mid summer, for me to enjoy for several months, not just weeks.

For a Sweet Baby Girl

For a "soon to be born" baby girl--center panel is for her name, date of birth and weight

Since momma and daddy love Rubber Duckies, this is the theme of the baby quilt

I spent a rainy Labor Day weekend Saturday down in the basement, making the blocks for this baby quilt. I had used this pattern to make three baby quilts last year, 1 for my grandson, and 2 for neighbors who were having babies all around the same time.

The quilt blocks are 6" x 9", and I use a Janome 10000 Embroidery machine for the emboidery blocks. The embroidery patterns are from Dakota Collection, and this design set is called "Cuddly Animal Quilt". I've made several of the quilts using this collection, and they all turned out very cute.

I have just done the piecing on the quilt top as of today. The checked fabric the quilt top is laying on will be an extra row of border to make the quilt bigger. The last ones I made just covered a crib mattres, and I want this one to have more overhang. I am thinking of making a pieced border using up all the fabrics I cut for piecing and didn't use. I'm researching that right now to see what design might work best.

My one quilting friend told me about corner blocks. I had some fabric in my collection of colors that went with the main fabric that was all little blocks. I'm really glad I did that because it helped me get the sashing lined up straight. It still isn't perfect, but it is flatter and more rectangular that the last ones I made. I guess you learn with each project.

I have to wait until she is born for the name to be embroidered in the center. I'll work on the borders until then. I believe I can give it to the momma a few days after the baby comes, they won't mind!

It's fun, and I used inspiration piece of fabric with ducks printed on soft red plaid. I teamed it with soft greens and blue. It has sort of a vintage look to it. I like this color scheme, rather than bubble gum pink or pastel pink which so much stuff is made out of for a baby girl. Hope the parents like it as well. I'll show you an update when it is completely finished. The backing will be soft off/white and yellow ducks on flannel. Very snuggly!

Taken to the woodshed

When you're in charge, you get to plan, improvise, create, evaluate. You get the praise for a job well done (if it is a job well done), and you get taken to the woodshed if something goes wrong!

That was what happened to me today.

A simple request for some pay for someone who did me a favor led to an inquest, a grilling, rationale questioned, admonishment to never to it that way again, the possibility that someone else's job is on the line, and general roasting till I was fork tender. Not exactly what I expected to be on the agenda today, but it was.

We never had a woodshed at my house, but we did have a paddle. And we had a parent who knew how to use it when things got out of hand. You know that old routine, Spare the rod and spoil the child--that wasn't what my father thought! So I've had my share of scoldings and sore backsides as a result.

Well, I won't reveal any more about the circumstances than what I've already said, but let's just say, I left with my tail between my legs, a sadder but wiser girl! Guess that's part of the job of being in charge--nobody told me about that when they recruited me. But, I've been in that position before, so what's new?

Whew--what a day!

The first Tomato

From this modest little garden patch grew a mighty tomato plant. It is the tinest plant in this picture (Back row, next to the house foundation.) The Squash plant next to it did much better in the first few months, but the bunnies feasted on the tiny little fruits as they developed.

Now the plant has overtaken everything else in the garden plot. It has been propped up, and it is still sprawling out, covering the flowers, and itself bearing more and more flowers and fruits. Right now there are at least 20 tomatoes in various stages of growth on the plant, plus more flowers.

The wierd thing about this garden plot is that it gets very little sun. During the high summer months, it got about 4-5 hours of sun a day. Now it is in almost constant shade, as this garden faces east, but has a 2 story monster house 12 feet away from it, causing the sun to never hit it now that fall is approaching.

I thought tomatoes needed sunlight to thrive, but obviously there is something in this garden area that is making this tomato plant happy. And today I picked my very first ripe tomato! Note the date, Sept. 1! I hope the first frost is late this year, so the rest of the little green tomatoes will have a chance to ripen.

Not impressive in size, note the golf ball next to it. But it ripened, and it's all mine! Can't wait till the rest of them get ripe! Hooray! I got the first tomato before (not Fourth of July), but LABOR DAY!

Patience is a virtue, of which I have next to none!

Today I almost lost the last little bit of patience that I have. I bit my tongue, kept my cool, and didn't snarl at anyone! But it was one of those kinds of days that makes you want to yell at someone!

I am teaching some very eager students from Central America, Mexico and Caribbean Islands who are here on a scholarship. They are very wonderful people, except that their English language skills are very limited. I speak and you can tell by the blank looks on their faces that they have no clue. So daily, I must invent new ways to get my point across.

Now these dear students have only been in class for one week. But I have several procedures that I am trying to set up for the duration of the school semester. One is a procedure for them to record on a computer their pronunciation of a script as a homework assignment. Then they need to save what they have recorded and then send it to me via email. In reality it isn't difficult, but if you don't know what the teacher is saying, it can be a challenge to master all the steps.

I explained what we were going to practice. Then I walked them across campus to the tiny little lab we were to work in. I have 15 students, and the lab had 7 working computers. We could barely fit into the room! They doubled up on chairs, and we began. About half-way through the experience, I began to doubt my sanity of trying this so soon! But, one by one, miracles started to happen, they recorded their short assignment and really got a kick out of hearing themselves speak! Then, one by one, they discovered how to email their sound files. When we were done an hour later, all had successfully done their recording, saved their recording and then sent it to me. I could hardly believe it worked, but I was holding on to sanity by a thread by the time I left the room!

Then another one of our students had to make a dramatic change in the classes she was taking, switching from a day class to a night class on another campus. This was more than I could bear! I had no answers for her questions--"Why did this advisor send me here? Why weren't you here to help me? Why did I have to wait? Who can I talk to now? How will this work?" And then calling folks for answers mid-afternoon yielded mostly voice mail answers. So I got creative, said she should just go down to the other campus, find the teacher, ask the teacher to let her into the class, and then go register. This was all "after hours" for me, since I work part time and had been there since 8, and it was now knocking on 3 p.m.

I definitely earned my 20 pesos today. And I retreated to my sanctuary of the bedroom chair knowing I had kept my cool, got the job done, and didn't offend anyone by blowing up in their faces! The students don't deserve it, no matter how their complicated lives cause us to have to bend over backwards to try to help them out of their messes.

And tomorrow, I get to do it all over!

The Last Day of August

The last day of August is always bitter sweet for me. It ends the "official" summer months, you know those three that teachers love--June, July, August. Isn't that why we all went into teaching? Many people think so.

No, now teachers are on the job come the first of August. Some school districts around here were up and going the first week of August. Kind of cuts the vacation time short, doesn't it?

There is a sweetness about August though. The flowers are lush, although sometimes the green grass is turning ugly brown. Usually it is bleeping hot here in the Midwest in August, but this year, we've been blessed with some very nice weather. "Resort like" is the term used, cool nights, warm breezes, no rain, low humidity. This is definitely NOT what August usually bring to us as far as weather.

Another sweetness is the nice clearance sales we shoppers can cash in on. There is still enough time to wear these purchases a couple of more times before the winter clothes must be brought out. Of course, our white pants have to be put away as of next Monday. So, I've tried to wear them every day this past week and will try all of this week! Then the dreary black, brown and grey can sneak into the wardorbe.

Two fine relatives were born in August. My only son, and my step grandson celebrate their birthdays in August. I found out my colleague in the sewing room from Joseph also had her birthday yesterday, so there's another August birthday of someone I know.

But tomorrow is the first day of September. And, truth be told, September is my favorite month. Not only is it the birthday of many good friends, (Nancy, Rita, Al, Joe, Elaine, I could go on and on), but it is MY BIRTHDAY MONTH also! And two of my children celebrate wedding anniversaries in September. My BFF and her hubby also celebrate their anniversary, same day as my son and daughter-in-law! So it is a full month of celebrations.

The beauty of the month of September is always something I cherish. Colorful leaves, breezes gently blowing, warm days, cool nights, a hint of the cold days to come. I revel in it all.

So, goodbye August. You've been a nice month for me one more year. I enjoyed my mini-vacation, my play, my work, and the fine weather. My flowers are growing like crazy, the tomato plants are finally showing some pink fruit. I got my fine new Toto toilets this month, and bought a Coach purse for the first time. Such fun!

See you next year, August, God willing and the cricks don't rise!

The first day of school

Chaos!

That is how the first day of school usually is! Today was no exception!

No big yellow school buses to dodge, just a bunch of half-asleep young adults trying to find a close parking spot for their 8:00 a.m. class! I was about sideswiped by someone in too much of a hurry to look both ways!

My colleague wasn't that lucky. She was merrily on her way to school, on the off ramp of the highway, and got rear-ended! It was a jolt, not really a crash, but it shook her up a lot, but she was/is a trooper and pulled herself together despite a bad beginning to the day.

Other colleagues came and went, the dean came and went, the department chair came and went, and by 2:00 p.m. I had absolutely nothing done of my own! So things quieted down in the mid-afternoon, and I finally got a few lessons planned.

I didn't officially begin my teaching today, just was in the office planning, and greeting the colleagues who I haven't seen all summer. It was busy, buzzing, and cordial, but everyone was on a mission!

We have full classes this semester. Some say the community college benefits by a downturn in the economy. That must really be the case, because our halls were jam packed before every class today. One of our classes was actually without a classroom until yesterday! Luckily, they found a place for them to meet.

My day in the trenches starts tomorrow with two absolutely new classes that I've never taught before. So, I'll have to see how I do with new curriculum and a new group of students. It is always a challenge, but usually a very rewarding one!

Wish me luck!