Sweet Tango

                              If you see this apple at your market...BUY IT!!! 

So yesterday, I went to a different grocery store.  I dunno.  I was bored with my usual Kroger and wanted a change.  I went to the brand-spankin' NEW Kroger in Rochester.  I was looking for ingredients for a crock-pot recipe...among them, Golden Delicious apples.  Well, they had 'em...but they were very green...and not very appetizing.  So I started shopping the other apples. 

So I'm looking at the different apples and I notice they have a TON of a variety called "Sweet Tango."  On sale...and free samples, too.  So I tried a piece...and OMG!  Now, I'm not an apple-lover.  I mean, they're OK...I have nothing against them...but give me a peach any day.  So I was absolutely shocked at the deliciousness.  I think my eyes rolled back in my head.  Crisp...sweet...JUICY.  The BEST apple I've ever eaten.  Truly.  This is what all apples aspire to be.

So...go buy yourselves some "Sweet Tango's."  Do you hear me?  

By the way...I have no idea where these apples come from...or who grows them...but, if they want to send me a bushel or two, I won't turn them down.     

Heaven, Help Me!

Well, my friends...I said it would never happen...but I now have one of THESE in my possession.  (Big pause for those of you who've fallen on the floor from shock...or laughter...or whatever.)  Yeah.  The aliens have invaded.

So far, I'm not sure what to do with the thing except stare at it.  All my life, I've had a love-hate relationship with the telephone.  During my growing-up years, my parents would NOT have one in the house...totally unnecessary, they said...which probably explains my lack of a social life in high school.  And once the offender made it's way into our household, it was rarely used.  Honestly, I never understood...and still don't...what everyone is talking about!

I am not a talker.  To those of you that are...please don't be offended.  Some of my best friends are talkers.  My MIL...one of my favorite people on the planet...is a world-class yak-er.  Give her a subject and she's off and running.  Me...not so much.  I'm a still-waters-run-deep kinda gal.  I prefer to write...to think carefully about what I want to say and how I want to say it.  So...a free-wheeling seat-of-the-pants telephone conversation is sheer torture for me.*

I can hear ya now, "Why the heck did she get a cell phone, then?"  Well, The Mailman and I travel quite a bit...short day trips and weekend getaways...interspersed with longer vacays.  And we leave behind our house and garden...TM's parents...and (usually) our two aging weenie dogs.  And we worry about all of them.  So...this little technological wonder is meant to alleviate our guilt in these situations...and nothing more.

I'm not going stand in the store and talk about dog food.  I'm not going to discuss the details of my friend's hysterectomy while at Kroger...in a voice loud enough to be heard three aisles over.  I'm not going to call TM from inside the bathroom stall at Walmart...even if it IS just to say "I love you."  And he has promised not to call ME from in front of the urinal.  I'm not going to text while my dinner companion stares at the paintings on the wall.  I'll turn OFF the phone during Jazzercise...I'm too out-of-breath to talk to you anyway.  I'm not going to scream obscenities into it out on the golf course (much as I may want to).  I'm not going to pace around in my side yard and have a raging argument with someone while my neighbor tries to weed her garden.  And I'm never...EVER...going to start a conversation with "Where are you" or "What are you doing."**  It's none of my business.  

All ranting aside...I'm happy to have the phone.  I think.  Although I'm still a little intimidated by it...and being accessible at all times is going to take a bit of getting used to.  Of course, I can always "forget" to turn it on! ;o)


*There are exceptions to everything.  When TM called me for the first time...I talked with him for FOUR HOURS!  In spite of the fact that I had NO IDEA who he was.  I knew right then that he was special.

**These are real examples of bad cell phone behavior that I (or TM) have actually witnessed.  Really.  A guy called his wife while using the urinal in the men's room!  And they say men can't multi-task.

In spite of worrying about my new cell phone, I managed to make some Halloween ornies for my Etsy shop.  I can't believe that Fall is nearly here...although it certainly doesn't feel like it.  They're predicting 98 degrees in the Hoosier state today!  Yikes!!!

HOTPOCALYPSE

This is what The Mailman is calling our insufferable heat wave.  Hotpocalypse.  And since he's out walking in it every day...who am I to argue?  So...Hotpocalypse it is.  

It's HOT!  These are the kinds of Summers I remember from my childhood...days in the nineties...no respite at night...and no rain.  When I began composing this post, I thought about showing you the fried lawn...the singed Hostas...the flower beds in desperate need of weeding and dead-heading and trimming and watering.  But then I realized that you probably have plenty of that in your own yards.  So instead, I thought I would show you what's right in my world.  Believe it or not...there ARE some positives to a heatwave!  So...grab a glass of lemonade...sit back...and enjoy!

Apparently, Japanese Beetles don't like hot, dry weather either!  These are the same Hydrangeas I showed you here.  The blossoms have aged to a beautiful, soft chartreuse green...and most Summers, the beetles would have devoured them by now.  Along with the roses.  This year, I've seen only a handful of the nasty things...and I hope they continue to stay away!

Not ALL the flowers are languishing.  The little Prairie garden around our goldfish pond is actually doing quite well.  Here, Purple Cone-flower, Black-Eyed-Susan and Butterfly Weed flourish happily in the heat. 

And I have NEVER been able to grow eggplant, bell pepper and tomato plants like these.  Granted, it has taken some diligent watering on my part...but these heat-lovers are rewarding my efforts with...

...crisp, green peppers... 

...sweet, juicy tomatoes... 

...and beautiful baby eggplant.  Tonight, I'm trying a new recipe...roasted baby eggplant with tomato and Parmesan cheese.  Kinda makes me wish I hadn't whacked down all the basil...some Pesto would probably taste good with this. 

Our freezer is stocked with sweet corn...

...and blueberries.

Since the heat has me holed up inside, I've managed to complete a few things for my Etsy Shop... 

...and last, but not least...I'm trying to remember that not everyone is a heat-hater.










This morning, it rained.  And...as I sat out in the shelter of our garage with my thunderstorm-loving dog, Bonnie...I was thankful.  Thankful for the rain...for my little companion beside me...for the sturdy roof over our heads...and for the egg and sausage breakfast we shared.  Life is good...and a little bit of heat doesn't change that!

Thank you for visiting me today!  And remember...leave out a glass of iced tea for the mailman!

Dancin'

I'll admit it...my favorite guilty pleasure is watching "Dancing with the Stars."  It's must-see-TV for me.  So much so that The Mailman bought a little TV for our camper...JUST so I could watch it on our recent camping trip.  (Truth be told, he probably just didn't want to listen to my whining over missing it.)  When the show premiered a few years ago, the premise sounded pretty lame to me...and so I didn't bother to check it out.  Then...midway through Season One, my MIL clued me in...and I've been hooked ever since.

I think this season's cast has been the best one yet.  We had no ringers that were expected to win from the get-go (Kristi Yamaguchi, Evan Lysacek)...no one was head-and-shoulders above the rest (Mario Lopez, Brooke Burke)...and there was no painful lingering (Master P, Kate Gosselin).  There were some nice surprises.  I found Romeo to be a delightful young man who embraced the experience with gusto (unlike his father).  The guy that was the first to go...Mark Catherwood, is HILARIOUS...and Kirstie's transformation is remarkable!  Even Brooke has improved in the last few weeks...moving beyond her constant "How does it feel?"...to actually interacting with the others.  And Tom Bergeron was stellar, as always.


Although I thought Chelsea and Mark deserved better scores on a couple of occasions...and Bruno's remarks to Ralph and Karina on Monday evening were inexcusable...the judges, for the most part, have been pretty fair...and I appreciated them refraining from personal insults (remember Michael Bolton?) in favor of constructive criticism.  

Who's gonna win?  Well, Chelsea is absolutely charming...and probably the best remaining dancer.  And Hines is SMOOTH...the kinda guy we'd all LOVE to dance with.  But, my fifty-something heart is with Kirstie.  I'd love to see her win.