Life in the South

So December arrived....still no snow in the extreme southwest...cooler weather but the grass is still green and the dandelions are still growing...

Can you Dig It???

After Kester's kind gift of a horseshoe set at "Rawk the Coop", we finally got serious and dug a proper horseshoe pit, to legal spec and everything! Kevin and I tested the pit, with mixed results.....but everything seems to be in order minus the addition of some finishing sand to the pits....

The Stakes are High - 14-15" in fact, as prescribed!

Removal of the Sod - note the birthday wheelbarrow in use!

The Golden Shoe - a precursor of things to come...

Wheatley Miscellany

Some miscellaneous shots from home....

Sunrise over our backyard - had to go back into the houes for the camera!

The Garden - still kicking out peppers despite our negligence

A nice batch of Italian Amarone

Mmmmm.....fruity wine goodness.....

More "Tomato Madness"

Along with "tomato madness" each late summer to early fall in the self-proclaimed "Tomato Capital of Canada" comes some obvious photo ops of local agriculture...

Tomato Wagons Headed thru Leamington to HEINZ

Tomato Wagons Awaiting Processing

Field Tomatoes before and after Harvest

A Plethora of Tomatoes from our very own garden...

Jane even managed to freeze five bags of tomatoes from our own garden, for use later in the winter in stews, chili or pasta dishes....even with minimal maintenance, the plants just keep kickin' out tomatoes!

Leamington Tomato Fest

Long time, no entry...such is the curse of dial up....

So mid to late August in our part of the world bears witness to annual "tomato madness" - six to eight weeks of tomatoes everywhere....in the fields...on the roads...in the processing plants...

Along with this comes annual Tomato Fest - a Leamington tradition of celebrating the harvest. We missed it last year, but this year managed to attend and appreciate some of the festivities...

Medieval Sparring at Tomato Fest

The Beer Tent - sponsored by Sleeman!

Lake Erie - a nice backdrop to any party

Yes, that IS a load on tomatoes headed thru downtown Leamington!

How do you say Happy Birthday?

You know you're getting old when your birthday is just....well....another birthday. Little fanfare, pomp or ceremony....actually started my birthday with a midnight visit to a fish plant, for a night shift smelt processing audit than ran until 5am - then came home and foolishly slept for 80 minutes before leaving for work at 7am. At my age....I should have just stayed up!

Jane did bring me Car Barn breakfast at work (see previous Office That Eats entry), likely the only thing that got me through the day. Once home, the remainder of the evening, minus twenty minute power nap, was spent in relaxed fashion working on the staining/sealing the deck and bottling a batch of homebrew pilsener in the kitchen. Fortunately I also received my birthday present - a long awaited wheelbarrow for use in many chores around "the farm"....

Jane staining the deck

23L Pail o' Pilsener awaiting racking and bottling

Finished product headed for beer fridge in barn, aboard the Birthday Barrow

We ARE the Office That Eats....

When I came to the Leamington office, I was told that "we're the office that eats".....meaning any old excuse to go out for lunch, or have an office BBQ (we keep one inside the back door), or just a good ol' potluck luncheon in the boardroom. I guess after all....we are food inspectors!!!

Some highlights of previous office lunches:

The Nacho Sombrero - yes, that's hot cheese under the middle part!

The Chocolate Fountain