Friday, July 2, 2010

Tigers, Tomatoes & Zucchini - A Garden Story??

Call it a garden story, if you like. For me, it's a blend of random facts and thoughts that seem to possess somewhat of a common thread... well, in my erratic mind, that is.

Y'all know that the only tigers existing in my garden are of the floral variety; this is a fact. The yellows dominate this morning; but the oranges and reds are ready to burst. They'll be gorgeous, as they lean towards the exotic, in color. Their beauty aside and by name only, they remind me of the other Tiger - the one who now faces the payment of huge sums of money to quiet the voice of his soon-to-be-ex wife. Thank G-d she did not stay with him; kudos to Elin. A thought.


On to to-
matoes. We'll have a crop this year; this is a fact, witnessed by the very first bloom that opened this morning. Always, I reminisce about Howard's tomatoes, of years gone by. Yes, Friend Linda's husband maintained a stellar garden, before they moved south. He'd gift us gallon-sized bags filled with succulent cherry tomatoes, accompanied by lots of zucchinis - my kids loved zucchini bread, back in the day.
One summer past, Linda appeared at my door with an armload of veggies. As I opened the door to greet her, a monster zucchini fell from her arms, only to land on my big toe. The damage was done. I lost the toenail that summer. It eventually grew back, only to drop off again after long hours of pounding the pavement; this was back during the height of my distance running days. After about five unsightly years, finally it healed. I've just begun to again consider the fearsome zucchini a friend. Did you know that its flower, pictured here, is edible? Yes, it's an Italian fried fave; just ask my Mom!
As for Lovely Linda...

It was fun to catch up with her during her visit, this past week. She loves Florida, but continues to seek attachment to her northern roots, especially those of the human variety. A thought.

All these blooms, be they veggie or floral, are the color of sunshine; a fact. A thought lies herein to wish all equal brilliance.
Cheers.