Yummmmm, fresh tomatoes!

Man, there really is nothing like a fresh tomato! The 'German Johnson' variety is fabulous for slicing and eating with a little salt and pepper. In fact, that was half of my lunch today- most of a sliced tom and two light hot dogs w/o buns. YUMMY! I picked a 'Mr. Stripey' today, but it won't be ready for another day or so.

The kitties are growing so fast! I took these picks of them today, and compared them to when we brought them home. Max is ha-YOO-ge! He's going to be built like Tripper I think- big, stocky, and thick. Miss Charlie is growing too, and tho she's smaller than Max she isn't going to be a tiny thing. She's almost as big now as Sam's 3yo outside cat Fizzy. They are as frisky as ever too. Luckily the waking up at 6am every morning to play stopped quickly! I have also noticed that as in people, female cats mature faster than their male counterparts. Charlie already has her permanent teeth, but Max still has his baby ones. I suppose it IS possible they aren't brother and sister after all, but I doubt it.

I am canning tomatoes right now. This first batch is five pints, and I'm sure there will be plenty more after our trip! I tried some new varieties of roma-type toms this year and think the best have been 'Mamma Mia'. They are huge, thick-walled, and practically seedless. They skin so easily too! I will be on the lookout for them next season.

I cut all of my butternuts today as well. They are all orange like the ones in the store, so I figured I was safe. Counting the one I tried the other night, I had 12. There are new small ones on the vines now, so I bet I get more this fall!

Time to start packing for the weekend. Joe always thinks I'm compulsive, but he has to admit we never forget ANYTHING!!!