Tomatoes and theTotal Eclipse of the Summer

One of the greatest pleasures of late summer are, for me, fresh tomatoes, peaches, and apples. (Product endorsement coming at you.) Ela Family Farms' western slope peaches and apples are the delight of this time of year. They aren't the cheapest peaches you'll find, but the taste more than makes up for the initial cost. The same goes with their apples.

We're happy to report that our tomatoes--the ones that exploded and took on the form of an invasive, aggressive species--produced a decent initial yield. Judging by the number of green and small tomatoes on the vine, we're hopeful that the next few weeks will bring us an abundance of fruit. Thus far, the Cherokee Purple remains our favorite. The Black from Tula have a subtle taste that is fine and dandy, yet not as overflowing with flavor. We're waiting on the Green Zebra and the Brandywines. When we call it quits, I will write on different approaches and aspects we would change next year.

We visited my family in Chicago last weekend. The wound, as expected, annoyed me throughout the trip and walking proved difficult under the slightly strained circumstances. Even though the Cubs' season is over, and possibly still-born in March/April, they walloped the Pirates 17-2. The game was, in essence, completed by the second inning. Practice runs for the Chicago Air and Water Show lived up to expectations as various jets zoomed, zipped, and buzzed the crowded Wrigley--the highest attendance of the season.

In other news, I bought airfare to Morocco for 7 Nov - 20 Dec. I'm enrolling in an Arabic language institute in Rabat for approximately four weeks. The blog won't settle into a moribund state, I hope, and I will try to update as time permits with photos. In the next few weeks my goal is to return to a bit more analytical posts. Other than that, all's quiet on the western front.