Life in Aylmer Quebec

Emma’s first day in Grade One was a success! She is very happy that her best friend at school is in her class, and her ‘boyfriend’ is too! I went with her this morning, to find out who her teacher is and bring her school supplies (and a little moral support), so I got to see who some of her other classmates are and her teacher. So far so good! My little girl is growing up.

Some more tomatoes have ripened, and made it to my definitely grow again list. I’ll have to finalize it, and post it. Some are not going to be grown again, to make room for new types to try, and some are always going to be grown in my garden, they were so good. And then there are the ones that until I find one that is better, will be standbys. But Galina’s Yellow and Black Cherry are two absolute must grows. Everyone knows I don’t actually like tomatoes, but these two I almost did. I tried them, and I could definitely taste the appeal! And I recently made some bruschetta, and the heirloom tomatoes are fantastic for that. I do love bruschetta, and the topping is so tasty that I slurp it up as I make it. Sounds funny, I don’t like tomatoes, but like bruschetta, I know. You have to try it and see what I’m talking about. You can even omit the bread and just eat the tomato mix like a salad!

Tomato salad/bruschetta topping:

As many tomatoes as you like, chopped into small chunks (5 or 6 large ones)

Fresh basil, cut up, about 1/2 cup

3 – 4 cloves of garlic, pressed

pinch of sea salt or kosher salt

tbsp olive oil

simply mix all the ingredients, and season to taste. If you like garlic (like I do), you can always add more. Same with the salt.

Use this as a topping for bruschetta, or as a salad base. Add lettuce, cukes, whatever you want for a salad, and it is delicious. I add some cheddar and grated romano cheese and broil it on pre-toasted bread for a great bruschetta. Play with it. Add beans to it. Enjoy it!

I am also busy fermenting the tomato seeds, drying them and storing them. I may offer some seeds in the SeedSavers yearbook, and/or try to sell some, but not sure how just yet. I guess that will be my fall project, if I can get it together. Otherwise, I’ll wind up with way too many seeds, and I am such a packrat that that is not a good thing! Sarah???Some help here with the website ideas???

And one final note, some of you may know or know of my good friend Eva, who moved to British Columbia last year (the ratter!) Well, she is no longer a Havlikova. Apparently, she took the plunge and got married a couple weekends ago (without even telling me!!) I want to congratulate her and Paul on their wedding, and especially to Eva, who is now a Vida! Congrats and best wishes to them!

I can’t believe tomorrow is the first day of school for Emma.  Grade One.  How on earth did time fly by that fast??  She is excited to see all her friends again, and I just can’t believe our summer is over.  Meg is going to miss her sister, but my friend Jeanine and I are going to swap kids again one day a week, and I guess we’ll do playgroup again, so she’ll only be stuck with me two days a week.   Why does time go so damn slow when you’re a kid, and then when you grow up, and actually appreciate it, time flies???  The years go by like weeks, and a day only last an hour.

I’ll let you know how Emma’s day went tomorrow.

I can’t stop thinking about the conversation I had with my mother today.  A couple with three children, who live down the street from my parents and own a photo studio, have had the worst tragedy dealt to them.  I knew them, although not well.  They gifted us with portrait pictures of Emma and Meghan, and I was their papergirl as a kid.  My dad taught their oldest  girl guitar.

The father was driving with the two eldest girls in the car and they were struck by a train at a crossing.    The oldest girl, fifteen years old, was killed.  The other daughter and the father suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Kind of makes you think.  And hug and kiss your own children a bit more, and hold your tongue when you want to yell.  I can’t imagine what the parents of that girl are going through, although the scenario runs through my head, and I cry.   My mom said the OPP were parked outside their house last week, she didn’t know why.  I guess it was left to them to give the poor woman the news about her family.  Can you imagine, a cop pulling up and getting out of his cruiser in front of your house.  You figure it must be the neighbors again.  Then the knock on your door.  Your husband and your daughter are okay, in the hospital, serious, but okay.  I hate to inform you, ‘—-’ was killed on impact….You collapse…..Your first born, your baby,  Oh my god.  How on earth do you go on?  What else can I say?

Please send good thoughts to these very sweet people, and if you believe in a God, pray to her for them.  Although I have little faith, sometimes it helps those that do.  These were good people.  Kind and generous, completely undeserving of any such horrid tragedy.  It just reaffirms my disbelief.

Goodnight, Mr. Rosewater.

Okay, not really.  But the harvest has begun.  I’m surprised at the amount of tomatoes we have, and many more to come if the weather continues to be nice, and we get a warm fall.  I’ve got to get out there and do some serious weeding and stake some of the plants, but so far the list of fab tomatoes is as follows:

*Russian Persimon – nice, large orange tomatoes

*Stupice – golf ball size, red

*Galina’s Yellow – small, yellow cherry toms (one of Meg’s fave)

*Zigan – black, medium/large size (Todd loves them)

*Reisentraube – red, grape tomato but size more like cherry

*Black Plum – small, black tom, size more like cherry

*Early Pink – medium/large, pink, not really that early

*Jagodka – small, red tomatoes, but quite prolific

*Rutgers -  medium, red

*Sungold – small cherry, gold (another of Meg’s faves) this is the only hybrid I grew, and only because someone sent me seeds

*Tiny Tim – small red cherry, won’t grow it again, not really worth the bother

I think that’s it so far.  I am still waiting for some other varieties to have the first ripe tomato.  One outside on the vine is the largest tomato I’ve ever seen, it is actually four tomatoes that fused together, and it’s a big beefsteak almost ripe.  If I had a kitchen scale I could weigh it, but at a guess it is over a pound.    And I have tasted most of the listed tomatoes, and I can honestly say, I still haven’t found the one!  If you slice and salt one, it’s not too bad.  Or with cuke and mayo on toast, it’s okay.  But just by itself, there’s is still no tomato for me!   I’m starting to think perhaps there won’t be one.

I think today is a swimming pool day.  I’m feeling a bit better, a little more focused.  Grandma Monica is coming this weekend, I think, so that gives me a deadline of sorts.  And I have to start freezing some of the tomatoes, and have to make some jam too.  It is a good time for strawberries, even though we never did go to the pick your own farm this year.  There is also a pick your own apples, and tomatoes, in case I want to make extra salsa this year.  Don’t think there would be too many complaints.  And lots of peaches now too.  So I can’t start doing any of that until the house is clean.  It’s just something I do.  I can’t work in the kitchen without a clean house.  And I actually do enjoy making the jams, the salsas, the peach and apple pie spreads so that is another motivator.  The weather is nice, warm without being stifflingly hot, so working in the kitchen is not a hardship.  And I haven’t made a loaf of bread in a long time.   I make a really delicious bruschetta, and my bread would be perfect for it.

So off I go, mop in hand (figuratively speaking).

Tell me why.  I don’t like Mondays.

There’s a tragic story behind that song, but you can look it up for yourself if you don’t know it.

Back to the same old, same old.  I’m still trying to clean and unpack and do laundry after our week long camping trip at Silent Lake.  Some pictures turned out okay, so I posted them on Flicker.  But I just don’t feel like doing much.  It’s such a huge let down, coming home after vacation.  Especially cause that was the last vacation we will have for a while.  Emma starts school in two weeks, summer is almost over, I’m at a loss and feel kind of bummed.  Todd started his new job today, so he went clothes shopping yesterday, which he just loves to do!!  If you know Todd, he is about the furthest from being a ‘pretty boy’ as you can get.   Mind you, he looked pretty cute this morning in his shirt and tie.  What is it about a guy in a suit?  Or a tie?  Or maybe it’s just me!

Anyway, it’s not so hot today, and the girls have been fairly peaceful, playing together.  So I should be trying to get stuff done.  Instead, I’m wandering from clutter to clutter, moving stuff around, and not really accomplishing much.  Then I go outside for a smoke and read a few chapters of a book I’m reading.  Or rather, re-reading, cause I liked them so much the first time.

Well, maybe I’ll post later.  I’m going for a smoke.

Unfortunately!!!  We are exhausted, filthy, stinky, and pretty much camped out!  But it was a successful jaunt to Silent Lake.  I would be posting pics of all our wonderful escapades, except one of those escapades included someone falling in the lake with the camera around her neck!  Yes, I cannot lie.  It was Emma.

Okay, okay, it was really Meghan.

Okay, okay, it was Sasha (the dog).  She grew very adept at taking family portaits, very talented dog!!

Uhmm, okay, it was actually yours truly who slipped and fell in, thereby ruining a $500.00 camera, and barefully escaping with her neck intact!   To be fair, I wasn’t subjected to the recriminations that I deserved.  Instead, it was more the silent guilt trip.  For anyone who has a mother who can do that, it’s worse than getting yelled at.    At least then you can yell back.  ( And mothers are the worse for doing it, or should I say the best at doing it.)  Nothing can make you feel worse.  And of course I did it on the second day of camping, so we didn’t even get a chance to take very many pics.  Thankfully Emma had her camera with her, so hopefully we still got some decent pictures.

Well, I am glad to be home.  There were lots of ripe tomatoes hanging of the vine, which Meghan ran out and picked, and ate about half the basket.  We’re talking a serious tomato junkie here.  But I sure wish I could go jump in the lake right now.  It’s hot and stuffy here, and after Silent Lake, the Ottawa river looks pretty pathetic.

Will update more adventures later.  Now I have to go give my two little stink bombs—I mean children—baths…if I can drag them away from the TV.   Withdrawl symptons there.

See you soon.