Musings

Today’s pop-up shower came early and surprised me. Usually they arrive in the mid- to late-afternoon. Today’s was noon-time-ish.

When I checked the garden early, however, it was still damp from Monday’s evening downpour, yet I’m very glad to have more precipitation. Still, most of the tomatoes are being lost to squirrels and black scummy mildewy nastiness that gets inside them.

So, to distract you (and me!), here’s a picture of Ek’Balam, a famous lowland Late Classic Maya archaeological site on the Yucatan Peninsula. I was there seven years ago today. In the foreground is the ballcourt. Beyond the trees is the highest structure in the civic-ceremonial center, and is the part of the settlement where tourists are welcomed. The residential area, however, expanded outward, I dunno how far.

Posted at 7:01 PM | Comments Off on Memory lane, hot as here

While the signature vegetable of Sicily is the eggplant (especially the smallish white ones), the signature dish, I have read several places (although I’ve also seen it ignored), is peperonata. Peperonata is sauteed sliced peppers (various colors) stewed with onions and tomatoes, a few green olives, and flavored with basil and red wine vinegar (salt and pepper, too, of course). Well, that’s one version.

Vegetable stews that are heavy on tomatoes, onions and peppers are big all around the Mediterranean. Add eggplant and you’re headed toward puttanesca or caponata….

Posted at 3:17 PM | Comments Off on Peperonata: not quite

Very hot. And sticky. Today.

But why do I mention this? I was inside all day except for running a few errands.

Posted at 5:58 PM | Comments Off on Cooped up

Stomates.

I wondered if I could see them when I took this photo.

Then I wondered if I had the name right.

Turns out: probably not; and, yes.

Stomates are stoma/stomata, the wee pores that open/close and allow the plant to intake carbon dioxide (breathing, essentially, to a plant); the downside is that by opening, this facilitates transpiration (loss of water vapor analogous to sweating in critters).

In general, a plant has more stomata on the bottom-sides of leaves than the tops.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Look on the underside

Or is it tomato art?

I’m not sure what’s going on. Two of my tomato plants are ho-hum. Dotty-yellowy leaves, not a tragedy just not quite right. Not sure why. I think they’re purchase-mates.

The rest are plenty green. Just taking a production break. Or the rodents are getting any of the product that’s getting the rosy tint we all hope for.

This one’s a yellow tomato. Not to be confused with the orange tomato (we ate one tonight).

Okay, it’s a green yellow tomato. But it’s still a yellow tomato.

And not a pear tomato.

I’ll stop now.

Posted at 8:34 PM | 2 Comments »

Yeah, at least in my book, the milkweed (Asclepias spp.) is a humble plant.

Have you ever tasted milkweed milk aka sap? Don’t. Trust me.

Posted at 5:44 PM | 1 Comment »

We’re about at the end of the gardenia season, but here’s a fine specimen!

The vermin have found the tomatoes. Mornings we find the partly-eaten evidence of their raids. Very sad.

Posted at 7:53 PM | Comments Off on Gardenia glow

Even though we saw fireworks tonight, it’s the wrong day, so I’ll save a night-light photo for tomorrow. Well, except for this lily. This is a third-of-July photo!

Posted at 11:03 PM | Comments Off on Lily night

The stump hostas caught the late-day light in a nice way that belied the steamy heat of the evening.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Stump life

The wildlife is getting increasingly bold.

Give me back my ’mater!

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Stop, thief!