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The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love

May 1, 2019
4 min

The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love

It seems that, in life, pursuits that are rewarding and give the greatest satisfaction are those things that are a challenge. Hard work and setbacks are the norm. Everything I’ve ever done that has given me a sense of accomplishment has ALWAYS required some level of aggravating diligence, and usually on some protracted timeline that has, in some cases, caused me to question my sanity. Why is this? This business of living doesn’t have to be this hard, does it? I have come to t

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My Little Democratic Republic

Jul 6, 2018
3 min

My Little Democratic Republic

The Fourth of July. Not only is this the birthdate of the wonderful American experiment as a democratic republic, it is also an important date for the gardening experiment going on in my back yard. Now, I admit, my garden started out as more of a dictatorship. I called the shots. And, like a dictatorship, it was fraught with the mishaps and misjudgments of the chief executive. Wikipedia, that great dilettante’s reference source, explains it, in one way, like this--”In social

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Suddenly Last Summer

Oct 16, 2014
3 min

Suddenly Last Summer

Summer has come to a close. The bewitching beauty, the ripe moments, the delicious episodes of gustatory emotion; the small side diversions. The love affairs of 2014 have come to an end. The bittersweet change of seasons has arrived. I have loved and lost....but as always, I have learned much. I’m talking about tomatoes here. Les Pommes d’ Amour. From the ordering of the seeds, to the first little plants that push through the soil, to the harvest of gorgeous fruits....it

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No Tomato Left Behind

Aug 22, 2014
4 min

No Tomato Left Behind

The big payoff is here! Tomatoes! It is the time of year when I have a continually full basket of tomatoes on my kitchen floor. At any time, there are at least twenty-five tomatoes (and often double that amount) of every variety. For the past several years, I’ve had a lot of success with my tomato crops, in spite of battles with blights, bugs, wilts and other fun things. I fight the good fight. Last year, for the first time, I decided to count the number of tomatoes that

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La Pomme d' Amour

Apr 26, 2014
3 min

La Pomme d' Amour

Love apples……. that fanciful name for tomatoes is derived from the French “La Pomme d’ Amour”, attributing aphrodisiacal powers to them! It is the perfect name for this centerpiece vegetable of the garden. Couple that with the fact that until some time in the nineteenth century, tomatoes were considered to be poisonous, and you’re probably wondering, “where’s the snake in this story?” Well, I am a sinner. I love tomatoes. They are the main event in my garden. I put a lot

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