In the dead of winter I have a gift of summer

Remember my post from Thursday, October 22 about rescuing my tomatoes from the back yard? 

Well, these are the last of them and I am going to eat them today. Imagine! December 26th and I am going to eat tomatoes from my own garden! 

This is what they looked like when I picked them.

And they have been sitting on my kitchen counter ever since. 

One by one, They have turned a sunny yellow and yes, I have eaten them!

As I pop each one into my mouth, I close my eyes and days of sunshine and warmth flow back into my mind's eye and I am able to bask in summer's goodness and glory!

I'm so glad I rescued these little tomatoes!

We 've had a mild November: My geranium.

I've been feeling left out! Several of you are posting pictures of your geraniums and well, I needed to as well. You know, follow along and bond sort of?

So Outside I went tonight, trusty Canon in hand and snapped some pictures of my one and only geranium left outside. We had one in a pot this year, a gift from my niece on Mother's Day and it has given us much pleasure all summer with it's prolific blooms. It has been outside all summer. We really haven't had a hard frost yet here.

It is an Ivy Geranium, bought at good old Canadale's Nursery in St Thomas. Every Mommas day my sweetheart of a niece buys me and her other mom's a beautiful outdoor plant. She is like a daughter to us and in fact Dick proudly gave her away at her wedding a few years ago. She would be so happy it has lasted so long. I will have to send her a copy of this photo.

Yes, we are in southwestern Ontario, Canada, but if you look at a map, we are only 65 miles north of Cleveland, Ohio, across Lake Erie. We have had a wonderfully mild fall mind, last November this day, we had several inches of snow on the ground!

Enjoy my photos as poor as they are and hope my American friends are all having fun getting ready for their Thanksgiving. Stay well, Lucy!

The first frost at our cottage.

I had to go outside last night on the back patio to rescue my few remaining tomatoes. Bah! I hate the coming of November! Those gloomy, dreary days with no sunshine and nippy winds. The lake is all steely gray and the waves crash onto the shore.
Once you get into the twenties of October, you just know the warm days are numbered!

This spring, I felt compelled to grow and nurture something. Obviously a throw back to my farm raised childhood and when you retire, you need some intersting hobbies to fill those hours your jobless situation has created. I have fantasies of wandering a raised bed backyard with pruners and basket in hand, harvesting heritage tomatoes. Mulit coloured, intersting shapes, mouth watering.... mmmmmm!
So one day, I turned into Canadale's after work and spent an enjoyable hour wandering the isles of lush green bedding plants. I made my choice: One plant that would bear yellow, pear shaped fruit in miniature the tag said and having paid for my potted plant, rushed home to bury it!

When we did the renovation last summer here at our cottage, I had the carpenters build two multi tiered wooden planters that in their expert opinion, would cost only one hundred dollars apiece. Two days later and a couple of trips back to the lumber supply for more wood, screws and god knows what all else, my five hundred dollar planters were complete. (The realtors let me think that the addition of decorative features in our back yard has increased the value of our house?)

And what a wonderful receptacle the one has made for my single solitary tomato plant!

I planted it, (it was all of 20 inches tall when it went in the ground,) watered it and eagerly awaited the harvest. Juicy, delicious tomatoes grown by my own hand!

The thing about this summer, was that we had very little extreme heat and lots of rainy days! It turned out perfect for growing patio tomatoes, I guess, because before long, Dick and I were on the ladder staking and tying my one little tomato! It was the beanstalk kind perhaps? As you can see, it grew over six feet tall!

Mid August, sure enough, we started getting tomatoes and what a haul we've picked. They have been luscious and lovely and I have enjoyed every single one.

So I had to go out and pick the last of them and they are sitting on my counter now. I'm hoping they'll still ripen. The plat is gangly and thin, many of the leaves withered and fallen. Before the real estate sign goes on in spring, I'll have to clear the debris away and make the yard look all nice - nice.

But I think I'll plant two next year. Maybe I can start my own veggie stand!