Friday, July 31, 2009

Wes Not Wes

Summer days mean lots of not much. Lots of hiking, reading, thinking, running, gardening, canning, repairing, and lots and lots of puttering. It's great.

Here are a few of the recent not muches:

1) The birds are growing. Biggie really looks like a hen now, and Smalls isn't far behind. Harriet, on the other hand, looks like nothing but herself.

Here's Smalls checking out the camera. If I didn't move away quickly, she would have pecked at me. She's not too friendly with people, but she and Biggie are in love with each other.


Check out the size differential between Biggie and Harriet.


2) Cannas. Desert Birds of Paradise. Flowers still happen in the heat.



3) I run. When I can, I run in funny shirts. It makes me feel faster.


4) Plants are growing. My banana trees stretch and the figs begin to wink.



5) And, the tomatoes throw some surprises at me. This spring, excited by the prospect of meaty red hearts, and plenty of them, I grew Wes from seed I acquired in a trade. The seedlings sprung up happily and I planted two of them in my tomato bed. They grew heartily and begin to set fruit, fruit which strangely enough was not heart shaped. And, when they ripened, they weren't red.


They're not Wes, but what are they? I have no clue. Each fruit is huge, very irregularly shaped, and very meaty. They contain very few seeds and are quite dense. They're not subacid, like many yellows, but have a full tomato flavor, though not too sweet. They're great canners, as well as good in salads and sandwiches.


Like I said, very irregularly shaped.


If you know what this Not Wes is, drop me a line.

Right now, I've gotta run. I've got to get back to doing not much.

5 comments:

Jen said...

I love that shirt no matter what random other English teachers say.

Christina said...

Thanks, Jen. I love it too.

Anonymous said...

That is one angry hen. I took your advice and now have banana central.

Lucy said...

Ah, yes.

Very Irregular. Most amusing!

How lovely for you to be doing Not Much. Enjoy it - those chooks of yours are delightful.

Christina said...

Altadenahiker: She's not as angry as she looks; she gets along really well with other birds. It's just that she's not sure about us unwinged folk.

Lucy: Thanks! The lineup has changed since I posted this though--more on that later. I hope all is well with you.