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Excuses, excuses

I want to apologize for not garden blogging much since my return from Mendo. I’ve been busy getting my teenager ready for back-to-school and trying to fit in as many bike rides as possible before the rainy season kicks in.

When I said I needed to “catch up in the garden” in a previous post, you should have read that as, “My garden looks like total crap right now and so does my house.” They do, but I’m trying not to stress about it. I’m having too much fun embracing this new fad called “diet and exercise” and have gone on some fantastic bike rides lately. I’m feeling better about my increased stamina and about getting rid of some of the junk in my trunk after just a few rides! Who knew moderately intense exercise actually had some benefits? I will inevitably fall back into my old, evil ways, but I feel I should ride this cresting wave until it falls.

The timing is actually ok because there’s a lull in the garden. Summer’s not quite over and we still have plenty of time to do flower & veggie Fall/Winter planting. In fact, I’ll bet nurseries aren’t very well stocked with cool-season plants yet.

I do have some gorgeous, unplanted plants sitting on my patio from some recent visits to Bushnell’s and Windmill. I feel bad for making them sit in their cans, but I think I’ll have them planted by the end of the week. And I’ll have caught up on deadheading and pruning. And my house will be cleaner. And little fairies will leave chocolate hearts on my pillow while dancing a little fairy jig. I guess they’re Irish fairies. Or faeries. Or ferries. Or ferrets. It’s a wonder why I’m always behind in my domestic duties… 😉

By the way, I’m going to start bringing a camera on bike rides. A camera that takes video. Ooh, I can’t wait to share the beauty. Must first figure out a way to attach the camera to my bike helmet. Has somebody invented a head lamp-type strap that holds digital cameras on your head so you can film video clips while riding? Please let me know if you’ve seen something like this. There’s always duct tape, but I’m looking for something a little more elegant and less painful.

Are you a tomato head?

Many people are ending up on my blog lately via a quest for salsa and other delicious solutions for too many tomatoes, so I thought I’d link to this timely Sacramento Bee article by Gwen Schoen — Bee Food Writer.

It’s tomato time– Everywhere you look, slices of heaven fresh from the vine

Tomato tasting events are rapidly approaching. Check out a few on my Sacramento Gardening Events Calendar. Some of these events will offer salsa workshops, heirloom tomato seeds, canning demos, cooking demos, recipe contests, and more.

Don’t forget about the big Tomato Challenge at Raley’s, Saturday, September 9. There’s a $5,000 1st prize! Imagine how many presents you could buy me for $5,000…