This giant Aussie organic tomato was a perfect red and had the best flavor of any tomato I’ve ever had! Forget the dressing. This baby needed only a sprinkle of salt!

I did it!

I’ve got a 2 lb. tomato!

Aussie Heirloom Tomato, weighing in at 2 lbs.

Due to an unusually cool fall, my tomatoes are ripening extra slowly this year. But I think they will be worth the wait. The large yellow tomato you see here is about half the size of the largest tomatoes I have!

The big yellow tomato is an Arkansas Marvel

This freak of nature cherry tomato looks like a duck!

Perspective – the tomato vs. the tennis ball!

I am eagerly awaiting the first harvest of my organic Heirloom tomatoes. This year, they are HUGE! Looking forward to my eggplant plant producing some eggplant for Parmesan!

Look at how HUGE my tomato plants are after 6 weeks!

Pea pods coming along nicely!

Huge flock of crows flew over my house

Chased the dog through the yard

Dog chased me through the yard!

My tomato plants have been in large pots for just 1 month now. Look at how fast they grow! I’ve got a lot of flowers on them already too. The strong smells of the leaves for me is heavenly.  Here’s hoping we do not have another record-breaking cold South Florida winter. Here’s the transformation:

Unfortunately, we had to have our Acacia Tree removed from our yard yesterday. It was getting HUGE and brittle and would fall on the house if we had a hurricane. And sooner or later, you know we wil have one. It was also blooming profusely and causing me severe allergies. The dog dragged all the pollen into the house on his feet and fur. I was sad to see it go, and now the yard looks so empty. But watching the tree being removed was quite fascinating. See for yourself . . .

It’s been 23 days since we left our daughter at college, but who’s counting? Since that time, I have been extremely productive. I suppose that has to do, in part, with the desire to keep super busy so as not to be sad that we have an empty nest. (That’s not entirely true, because we have our beloved, 4-legged son, Darwin.) Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Streamlined and reorganized

1. Acupuncture – I have had 4 treatments in an effort to cure my painful plantar faciitis and perhaps improve my chronic allergies. No improvement on the foot yet, but I am sneezing a slight bit less. I and am more relaxed and am sleeping a heck of a lot better.
2. Grains – I’ve cut way back on gluten in an effort to improve acid reflux. It’s actually helping. I’ve replaced regular pasta with Quinoa, and it’s not that bad! If you have acid reflux and cannot figure out what is causing it, try giving up gluten.
3. Gardening – I’m well on my way to my organic S. FL winter veggie garden, with some new varieties of tomatoes and other new veggies I’ve never grown before.
4. Decorating – I’ve completely redone the master bedroom. It is so clean and fresh and uplifting now.
5. Purging – I promised I was going to get rid of a lot of “stuff” in the house, and I am keeping my promise. I have cleaned out and reorganized a huge armoire and trunk. There’s a lot more to do, but getting started feels great! I ain’t stoppin’ until every room has been cleaned out from top to bottom! There’s a anti-clutter bug you get when your kids move out of the house. I’m living proof!

Look closely. The peas and some of the tomatoes have already sprouted. These mini greenhouses are amazing!