Random thoughts again

Tony's BLT

OK, let's start this with a little reminder of an earlier post about the Tomato and BLT. Saturday after returning to Gas City from a great day of visiting, I watched an interesting show with "the girls". It was about wonderful and outlandish sandwiches. I was taken by the "Ultimate BLT" served at Tony's I-75 Restaurant in Birch Run, Michigan. As you look at the picture of Tony's BLT, you should notice that something seems to be missing (or covered).... Does look tasty!!! If it looks good to you, here's a blog that may interest you.  http://baconation.blogspot.com/

Back to my visits on Saturday. For the first time since, I think last spring, I got to go visit with my sister. Sadly her husband was out of town to a Lion's Club meeting for the day, but we talked, laughed and ate the remains of her wonderful Beef, Barley, soup... mmm good. It does seem that as the years go by, we find ourselves agreeing on more issues and values.  That sibling relationship is rich and valuable. There are many things that can come along in life to strain those relationships, but they are so valuable and worth preserving.

From there, I finally made connection with Art and Pat Windmiller. Art was the high school coach when we, the class of 1960 were in "junior high". I remember him most as the coach and in "study hall", although he also taught math.Our class has reconnected with them in the past few years and it is really great tht this reconnection has occurred.  Don't remember if I have posted this before, but we have another connection in that their son Bob played baseball and basketball at the University of Illinois in the late 60's (while we were at the University of Georgia).  I was met almost immediately with a cup of coffee and a tray full of local Heyerly's "rolls"... some fantastic "donuts". Couldn't find a website, but if find yourself south of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, it must be worth a stop. Here's a link: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/148/928222/restaurant/Fort-Wayne/Heyerly-Bakery-Ossian. Ossian is south on State Road 1. If you happen to know who Art and Pat Windmiller are, I advise you to look them up also. They aren't difficult to find and it is so worth your while to spend some time renewing that old relationship. We talked about folks we knew in Silver Lake, Basketball in Silver Lake, colleges and even the Pacers. (Pat's apparently a devout Pacer's fan, but they had the Illinois/ Nebraska game on the TV while we visited and she was pulling for Nebraska... What's up with that. There I was retired from the University of Illinois after 30 + years, and their own son played for the U of I and she was cheering for Nebraska.... Hmmmm. Oh well. "we" won. Funny thing is that the game was really in the background as we visited. When I started this paragraph I said that he was "the" coach.... Not the basketball coach, the football coach.... etc. You see there were 25 people who graduated from SLHS in 1960. In our class maybe 5 or 6 guys were involved in sports. I'm sure it was similar when Art was coaching there. Those few guys were the basketball, baseball, track, and cross country teams. Weren't enough to field a football or tennis team. I think I did this "big fish in a little pond" theory before, so won't go there again. The point is that for guys in multiple sports you didn't have the coaches fighting over them cause they were the same coach. Notice I said "guys"... sad to say that at that time sports were primarily a "guy thing"..
We talked a little about WW II which of course I only can relate to through movies, books and conversation with those who "were there". Reminded me of an interview I had just heard on WDWS radio. A local "Mahomet" man, Kevin Brooks, had collaborated on a book called Glider Infantryman about their experiences riding gliders behind enemy lines at Normandy. Wow. What little we know. Here's a link for that: http://www.amazon.com/Glider-Infantryman-Williams-Ford-University-Military/dp/1603444246. Art was one of the guys who "patched" up folks. I can imagine the anguish in working feverishly to save a life or a limb, nourished by cigaretttes and coffee and little sleep. OK.   Not my story!!!

One new Doggie Door

Sunday I got to use my new "double saw" or "dual saw"  http://www.dualsaw.com/ that the kids got me for Christmas to cut the hole to make a "doggie door" in our nephew's garage so their dog could sleep inside and poop outside. Took me longer that it probably should have, but although I forgot to take pictures before covering my handiwork with the plastic strips, I think it turned out pretty good. During the process, I was reminded of a sermon our family heard years ago at Center EUB church north of Silver Lake for a Christmas or New Year, or something. I need to take this opportunity to highlight again the significance of EUB. I grew up in the local Evangelical United Bretheren Church. Georgia grew up in the Methodist Church. In the year 1963, these 2 demoninations joined and became the United Methodist Church. Why is this significant? Because that was the year that Georgia and I became Mr. and Mrs. Kneller. How's that for a divine union? Back to the story.  This older visiting minister gave a sermon. Not sure how it related to Christmas or New Year or Christianity as a matter of fact, but the message was "if you don't have what you want; use what you've got".... That simple little message has stayed with me for all those years. So how does it relate to the doggie door???? Although I have learned to bring tools when I come here, I never seem to have exactly the right tool for the situation. I did make do with what I had, but when it came to fastening the plastic (Stair Tread covers) to the frame I had built, I was at a loss. I had bought a box of screws to put the wood together, but didn't think about not having 4 hands to hold the plastic while I screwed the wooden frame over it. I looked through my tools and supplies and finally found a package of glazing points. Now if you don't know what they are, you'll have to look them up yourself. I needed something that would hold the plastic to the back of the wood until I could secure the whole assembly to the garage. I stuck one of the points in the plastic, pounded it down, then flattened it and "viola" or as I used to think it was; "walla".... It worked!!! I had what I needed!
I think that's enough rambling for now.

2012 is here. Let's exercise

I know it is cliche, but thought I might as well start the year with a post. It is amazing the things you learn poking around. I was concerned that I wasn't getting the exercise I needed to keep up my knee rehab being away from home. Just before Christmas I stumbled onto a 5-speed light cruiser type bike at the "permanent" Flea Market on main street in Gas City, Indiana...Boy do they have stuff there. If I didn't already have way to many caps in my closets, I would have picked up some real unusual ones.Electric guitars and amps galore... Just lots of "stuff".... But I found this nice bike. The only problem I saw was that the shifter cable was frozen (rusted solid). So I walked it down the street about a block to the local "Do it Best" (Owens) hardware that I frequent when doing small projects here, thinking I would pick up a cable an replace it in Nan's garage with Moe wagging his joy with my presence in his lair. As I walked the bike into the store and told the guy... I'm so embarrassed that I don't know his name as often as I have been in there..... walked me to the back of the store where they actually have a bicycle repair shop. Since the weather wasn't all that nice at that time, I decided to have them replace the cable. You see, although our boys can disassemble and reassemble a bicycle in probably 15 minutes flat, I never got past the old big tired cruisers with coaster brakes. In late summer while I was trying to elevate my bike riding beyond our housing addition, I picked up a 10-speed for $15 via "Dealing with Jim Lewis" on our local Saturday morning radio. Everything seemed fine except the guy had turned those curved handlebars around. I couldn't ride it like that, so set out to turn them around. All the time I was beating on the handlebars to get one of the brake levers off to remove the bars, I knew..... I knew.... there was some simple way to loosen the lever and I knew.... I knew... where it was supposed to be. However I didn't have the patience or sense to compress the lever to expose the screw to loosen it.... So I finally got it off by breaking the band that held it in place.... So had to go to the hardware to get a new lever, which of course, ruined the integrity of the bike. I got it going with the bars correctly placed, but just never felt safe riding it, so kept looking for something more suitable to me. Now I'd found it, but was hesitant to dig into the repair process again, given my recent experience. When we came back, the weather wasn't really conducive to outdoor riding and Nan mentioned that there was a local exercise facility. That's the real subject to this post.
Nan told me where the facility was located, which was in a part of town I had never frequented in all the years I had come to Gas City. On the outside is an "Ironworks" sign. Inside, I found an open floor, most likely for the zumba, etc. with a rather messy counter on the right and a room packed with exercise and body building equipment on the left. There I found the owner Dave Turner. Meeting Dave is an experience in itself. Here is a guy who seems to enjoy life as he finds it and loves to tell his stories. In that little meeting, I found that the exercise facility was only a sideline (hobby) that came to him because he wanted to buy the building for his real business; Ebenezer's Personalized Embroidery. Part of the contract was that he had to keep the exercise business there for some set amount of time. That was about 30 years ago and the "gym" is the longest continually operating exercise facility in the country... And I didn't even know it was there. Dave mentioned that there had been a couple of national lifting and bodybuilding champions who trained there. So what is the embroidery business? Although I couldn't find a website, (Dave said he doesn't advertise either of his businesses) Manta had this: Ebenezer's Personalized Embroidery is a Health Club facility and is located at 109 E South D St in Gas City, IN. (765) 674-3360. After talking with Dave, I understand this strange description. His Embroidery business is primarily making and repairing company and school jackets, etc. I think his best advertisement is word of mouth..
Back to my purpose. I went to the equipment section to be sure they had what I needed. I found several stationary bicycles which were my primary target. There are also several elliptical stairstepper trainers. I remember this as that dratted machine Noelle introduced me to in my initial rehab back home. That sucker will give you a workout. Finding they had what I needed, I signed up for 10 sessions. I have since used 2 of them. While I was there both times, I was a little out of place in my jeans, Keens, and T-shirt with those buff young musclemen walking around in their gym shorts, athletic shoes and torn off sleeve muscle shirts. They were also huffing and puffing more than I as they hoisted those bars with large steel wheels on the ends. If I get to the treadmill at some point, I will also be walking while they jog and run as they cycle between lifting, pressing and jogging. I did get a reprieve last time, however because a couple of ladies came in to use the Stairstepper. The "guy" showed me how to program the bike for various courses. The first day, I did the level course and the second, I did the "rolling hills" course... Now that was interesting. I set the elliptical for a bit too long and that nearly wore me out. We how have a few days of nice weather, so I will probably be using the "real" bike, saving my "club" visits for more severe weather days. In riding the bike I discovered some other parts of town that I hadn't seen before. I think I have now seen the far northeast to the far southwest corners of the town. I think I have seen the 4 corners of Gas City now.

Ode to Andy Rooney

At least I'll use him as an excuse. The joy of listening to that crotchity old man was in seeing, as my early morning radio host Dave Gentry says, "a blinding glimpse of the obvious". (http://www.wdws.com/) Though I can't claim as much time marinating in this society as he, I seem to have caught his disdain for the ridiculous things our society has migrated into. (Bad sentence structure, I know.) OK. -into which our society has migrated..... better? This post was actually stimulated by one of those phone calls we seem to get trapped in these days. Whether it is your cable or satellite company, telephone company, Sears, or whatever global group the everchanging mergers have forced on you, you too have gotten into the web of some one with a middle eastern or SE Asian accent sitting at his/her monitor checking boxes as they ask you inane questions. The role is called "troubleshooting". Some times it works and they can tell you what to do to fix your problem. I'm reminded of a time a couple of years ago when there was no question that our satillite dish needed adjustment to get our reception. I called, hoping to make my way quickly to have someone come out and adjust it. I explained to the person that we needed a technician to come out. (remember that)... He started with the questions as I walked through the steps he prescribed. Several times, I said, "this isn't going to work, I need a technician." He said he needed to complete his protocol because if we could fix it over the phone we could avoid that waste. I took a deep breath and dutifully followed along. After a good 20-30 minutes of this he came up with his conclusion, YOU NEED A TECHNICIAN.... I lost my normal friendly demeanor and said "No ____ Sherlock, could you send a technician out?" He did, the technician fixed the problem, and life went on.
Again as Dave Gentry often says, "I told you that so I could tell you this".

We have been at Georgia's sister's helping care for their mother. The first couple of days we were here, I had some time and she asked me about the wire from her house to her shed. Before she bought the place someone had strung an indoor wire which now had lost it's outer covering and was looking pretty scary. On the house it was hooked to a porceline insulator similar to the one pictured here. Along with that wire was another wire which was attached with a makeshift partial hook (also pictured here after it fell to the ground). Trust me this is going somewhere. Later we had a heavy wet snow and the next morning we noticed that the "other" wire was on the ground. Apparently the weight of the snow pulled enough on the wire to straighten the "hook" enough to cause it to release and fall to the ground. It didn't affect the function of anything in the house, but was lying on the ground and needed to be put back up. Aside from the power line this was the only wire we could find coming into the house to serve the telephone, the satillite, and the internet modem. So not knowing which, she started by calling "Bright House" her internet provider. She called and told the person that the modem worked, but the wire was down and needed to be put back up. I will make a long story short by saying that while her phone guru was asking her questions, I was pulling out the couch (the modem was behind the couch) first to tell him that yes some lights were working, then specifically which lights were working, then reading him the very small print number from the back of the modem. When he asked for the operating system of the computer, I went ballistic. In fact, at this point, I couldn't even think of what an operating system was. I asked for the phone and said, "look, the systems are working fine, we're old and don't know what the operating system is, but the wire is down and someone needs to come out and put the wire up; that's all". He said in his severely broken english, I'm just trying to do my job and diagnose your problem". This really set me off. I said, "Look, dammit! The problem is diagnosed, the systems work, the wire is lying on the ground and needs to be put up. Your diagnostic job is finished, just send us a technician.". I know nearly abusive!!!! The phone went silent. He didn't hang up, but there was no one there. I hope he didn't rip off his headset and go crying to the bathroom. However that episode was over. So a few days later, I was going near the Bright House office, so I stopped in and talked with Florence who apologized for our telephone woes and said a technician would be out the next day. I had explained that we didn't know who the wire belonged to and she said they could at least see if it was theirs and we could go from there if not. I nearly hugged her, walked out the door with my chest out and head held high. I had accomplished something. This morning Scott came by and checked it out. We had started with the wrong people. Their wire was buried and the wire in question was for the telephone. He explained that their wires were always round and the flat wire had to be telephone. I had learned something. I have to admit that my confusion came from past when TV antenna wires were flat. We called the telephone company and we think someone will be out in a day or 2 to put the wire back up. Maybe another problem solved. Oh, the telephone company person accepted the fact that the things were working and didn't feel the need to diagnose our problem.

So Andy, if you're looking down. though I would never consider myself as wise or witty as you, I do share your concern for the wonderful technical advances that make our life so much better.  Here are the pictures to show that it is amazing that the wire didn't come down long ago. It will be interesting to see if the just stick it back up and rebend the wire or actually put a functional holder on it. Maybe I'll give an update after it happens.

Potpourri fall '11

We'll start with my new found friend, the portable urinal. I moved back into our bedroom while my bride was out of town, but when she got back and she spotted the urinal hanging in a handy location on the headboard, it was gone. Oh well, form wins over function again. I think the phrase was something like, "either it goes, or I go"... You know the joke..... I'm gonna miss her!!! .... No, I chose her and am glad I did. I guess I can go back to the tension between the stress of a full bladder and the stress of getting out of bed in the middle of the night.

Next is sports. In a year when "my" StL Cardinals looked like they were going down the tube only to come through and become 2011 World Series Champions and the University of Illinois football team starts out like a house afire and is starting to faulter while I also had to witness the second lost match of the Illini volleyball team, the addage of "it ain't over til it's over" rings so true. I have to say that the NFL season is over for me already. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed the Colts with Peyton. Seems like Mathus and Freeney can't even hold the opponent when they are on the field the whole game. Jake Cutler spending more time on his back than on his feet is also disheartening. This past Sunday, I didn't even watch any NFL... So we wait now for basketball.... Obviously not the NBA. The Illinois hoopsters start this week and could be interesting... We'll see.

Oh, my knee. There isn't really anything I try to do that I can't except kneel. It is still swollen and they say it will be til Christmas. Keeping up with the exercises and riding a lot of bicycle inside and out. I have a lot of hope for a pain free winter.

Another chapter of our lives seems to have come to an end. While I was taking time off to get my knee fixed, Oregon State University hired a board certified (ACVR) radiologist to work with Dr. Steiger. Good for them, sad for us. Our late winter trips to Corvallis had become quite special for us. Hopefully there will be some instance where they will need me again or we may just have to go for a "for fun" visit. We wish them success in building a great program.

As I write this, my bride is waiting for the gremlins to come to the door to dive into the basket of candy. I'll have to make this quick because it's time for their arrival to begin. Last year at this time she was in a wheelchair following her foot surgery.












One of my magazines had an article about using power tools to carve pumpkins. I thought it was something new, but when I went to research a bit, I found that people have been doing this for a while. I chose a safe and simple design and had at it. I have included pictures of the first one. I then duplicated it and we have 2 of them flanking our front door to greet the little ones. I won't get into why I used this design rather than a face other than, Halloween is not my favorite holiday and I didn't want to go "all out" in embracing the traditions.

That's what's on my mind at this time. Happy November.

Wraps or Burritos?

A few weeks ago a friend mentioned an eating establishment that was serving these great wraps. I launched into a sort of diatribe about how I really didn't like wraps. I don't like soft tacos and I like my panninis crispy. The statements were true, but narrow minded. I often pick up tortillas to make quesadillas and panninis. It is really fun to figure out what sort of things you can put between the crusts to create different flavors.  So last week I was in a grocery (If you've been following, you know that I have recovered from surgery quite well, though there is much work to do yet.)  .. I usually get corn tortillas, but there were only flour tortillas in front of me and for some reason, I picked up a package. This past week I didn't have the stuff that I thought I needed to make panninis or quesadillas, so I put together some slightly cooked zucchini, onions, sausage and Emeral's Essence, dressed it with fresh ripe tomatoes and wrapped them in a tortilla..... hmmm... I was eating a wrap!..   Today, I had some left over Panda Express and warmed it and wrapped it.... Not bad. Then LaBamba (www.labambaburritos.com) came to mind. I remembered that I do like their combination burrito and as I thought about it, I realized that we are again quibbling over words. So look at the picture above. Is it a seafood wrap or a fish burrito???? Ahah!!! You don't know, right???? Some of you will swear it's a seafood wrap and others are sure it's a fish burrito..... I think the only way to tell the difference is to look at the menu or the name of the eating establishment. You know that the wrap has become an eating craze especially at trendy places. While Taco Bell has been serving burritos (so to speak) for years, only in the past few years has anyone outside of California heard of a wrap..... right???? So there you have it; the lowly burrito is the trendy wrap by another name. And I, who refuses to be trendy, have been eating wraps for years without knowing it. So now you have my confession. My quick response that I didn't like wraps was probably my red neck showing. Go enjoy your wrap or burrito or whatever you (and your server) want to call it with my blessing. My only problem with either of them is keeping the juice that invariably comes out of them from dripping off my elbow onto the table. Bon Appitite (or whatever).


Oh, I got the image above from a Mexican restaurant site.

After this post went up, a friend from Colorado sent me a newsletter from "Tony's Market". 
http://www.tonysmarket.com/retailer/store_templates/shell_id_1.asp?storeID=5CB723477B4E43F88024DB82BE9E5BBF

Check it out; here's someone who sells both burritos and wraps. Can you imagine the confusion of their clients????

                                                                                                               

One of life's little pleasures.

One of the common phrases I heard growing up came when I would fall down; trip over something, lose my balance, etc. etc. The phrase was, "come here, I'll pick  you up." In my younger years, I might whine over some little incident and would be told, "I'll give you something to cry about.". Don't get me wrong, our parents weren't abusive, just would not tolerate whining over little things. Another phrase I remember that would come if there was a semi-serious injury; "that's gonna feel good when it quits hurtin". That one came from people who witnessed another's trauma as well as a response to one's own misfortune. When the news of my grand-daughter fainting while helping me out of bed got to family members, I got a card from an aunt who said, "We heard you had an 'out of bed experience' 'haha'" Little unpleasant incidents were often met with some form of humor to bridge the moment. A little closer to home, another  instance came to mind. A few years ago. I had noticed this little pimple on my abdomen at my belt line. It was noticable because it was irritated by my belt. As time went on, I somehow forgot about it until it had become a rather painful abscess that gave me difficulty in walking. I finally yielded and called the MD for help. Our regular doctor was on vacation so I was seen by a female PA (physician's assistant). She was a rather matter of fact individual, pleasant, but not overly friendly. She came up with the same conclusion as my family veterinarian; it needed to be lanced. At this point this thing was very sensitive to the touch. She prepared the site as I laid back preparing myself for what was about to come.  She punctured it, giving me a really, really sharp pain followed immediately by relief I hadn't felt in several days. I sat straight up and exclaimed, "You Bitch! Thank You".. She just looked at me and grinned, knowing she had done her  job and my comment wasn't meant to be personal (except for the thank you). But there it was again. the pain/pleasure cycle born out in an instant.

Some time back, I posted my feelings about the total knee replacement. Now, a few weeks later, except for those excruciating times when I (or a physical therapist) forces the joint to either straighten or bend beyond that comfort zone, I am pretty much painl free. In fact, although it's hard to compare, I would say that overall my knee feels better than it did before the surgery. However, the knee isn't the issue for this post.  Did you see the movie "Crazy Heart"? Remember how they helped paint the personality of the main character as he got out  of his "boat" and poured this amber fluid from the milk jug in the parking lot? I think they accomplished their purpose as most people thought, "how gross".. The other day, somehow in our conversation, Georgia said something to the effect of, "do you have those times when you have to pee so bad, but you know it is going to hurt to get out of bed, so you lie there trying to decide whether to go or not?" I got this smile on my face which threw her for a bit of a loop. You may have heard that old saying, "a bean is a fruit, but a pea is a relief". Right???? Is my tapestry pattern starting to take shape?  If you are alive enough to read this and aren't wearing a catheter, you know the great feeling when you relieve the pressure of a full bladder. So why was I smiling? I realized in that moment that I had nearly reached nirvana in that regard. A month ago, in my post op condition, after pulling my catheter, they supplied me with this cute little bottle which they called a urinal. Here I am, a month out from surgery, and one of my most prize possessions is that little plastic bottle. I only use it at night, but after lying in bed for a while, my knee starts to stiffen, so that the thought of getting out of bed during the night even sounds painful to me. But I have my little friend who helps me to relieve the pressure of a full bladder without risking the pain of getting out of bed. Now you can surely see why I was smiling. What more could one ask? Then I got to thinking about that movie. Here was our hero who was driving long distances, most likely imbibing diuretic fluids and not wanting to make pit stops. A logical solution was the empty milk jug. What a brilliant practice. I could however expect that there might be some tense moments while placing that jug and driving without spilling the elixer. Then I felt a bit foolish. We raised 3 boys, yet, in all those trips between Georgia and Indiana as well as between East Central Illinois and Northeastern Indiana, I don't ever remember employing this brilliant tool. We would look for acceptable places to go to the bathroom and when the crisis demanded, would often stop along the highway to let one of the boys "take care of business" .. always one at a time, right? Why did we never think of this????  There might have been the rare instance where an empty coke can was used, risking repeat circumcision, but we never made it a practice to have something in the car solely for the purpose of collecting urine when necessary. Well that was then and now is now. You can bet however that on future trips across the country, there will be one of these little beauties in the vehicle. Sorry ladies, I don't have a solution for you,. but thanks to Crazy Heart and Dr. Bane, my problem is solved. Just one of the little pleasures in life in which the accompanying pain can be avoided.  Truly the "pause that refreshes".

Ode to the luscious "vine ripened" tomato

My love affair with this glorious "fruit" started in childhood. I fondly remember those August and September mornings when I would stop by the tomatoes in the garden and grab a couple to eat on the way to the barn to do the milking. Of course, I would wipe them on my t-shirt before eating. Oh, what a way to start the day.  It goes from there to the Kosciusko County, Indiana fair (first full week of August). I exhibited pigs every year that I was eligible, winning the prize of champion in showmanship (the art of exhibiting a pig before a judge). During those years in the 50's the Silver Lake Lions Club stand was (to me) the best place to eat during fair week. The fact that our parents were intimately involved in running the stand might have had something to do with it. Although the pies were delicious (mom made them for many years), my staple meal that week was the Hamburger Steak Dinner. That was a large pattie of "real" beef, hand cut french fries, slaw, I think, and one or 2 slices of great home grown tomatoes.  I tried other meals, but couldn't top that.
With various attempts, in the meantime, I jump to our years on East Main Street where we had a long, narrow half acre lot providing space for a large garden. Because we had a large empty lot next door, many huge Burr Oak trees, and a railroad track along the back, we were pretty much over-run with squirrels and rabbits. Therefore, the things we could hope to harvest from the garden were limited. Basically  it was tomatoes and squash. At one time, I had 78 tomato plants of different varieties and would fill our wheelbarrow with ripe tomatoes to sit in the front yard for anyone to take. We couldn't come close to using them all, but I just loved growing and harvesting them. One year, we made catsup in the kitchen. Although I think it was the best catsup I'd ever eaten, the mess was such that it was a one time occasion. During those Augusts and Septembers I think I ate fresh tomatoes in some form for every meal.It was during these years, however that my disdain for tomatoes found in grocery stores and "chain" eating establisments grew. I couldn't understand why even when I had gorgeous ripe tomatoes at home, if we went out to eat, we got those tasteless things called tomatoes. Yes there were times when I actually brought tomatoes from home to put on my salad so there could be some taste.
We move on to our move to a relatively new housing addition with a "lake" bordering the back of our property. After conquering the crabgrass in the lawn, my attention turned to having a "golf course" appearance since this was the first place in a while where grass could be grown in the lawn in a patch larger than maybe 20 by 20 feet. The gardening urge couldn't be held back and we started adding flower patches in our yard, being careful not to block the view of the "lake". I couldn't bring myself to growing vegetables here, I think because here we had no "back yard with the street in front and lake in back. For some reason, I had the idea that vegetables were grown in the "back yard". We did grow some tomatoes in pots on the deck. They were good, but still didn't live up to my memory. This year, I had enlarged the areas for some of the flower beds with the idea of spreading out several of the perennials that had become crowded. With my knee issue this summer, I never felt like digging up and moving plants. When at Prairie Gardens this spring, the planet aligned in my mind and I picked up about 15 tomato starts. This week the "early girl" tomatoes began to ripen. Yesterday I had my first toasted tomato/peanut butter sandwich (an acquired taste). Wow! Now I remember. Yes, yes, yes!!! Today Georgia asked what I wanted for lunch. Yup, had another one. still one of the best taste sensations I know. Hopefully I have chosen the varieties to supply tomatoes til frost.  Although we have been to the "Whistlestop Cafe" in Juliette, Georgia for Fried Green Tomatoes, I'm not that much into  that delicacy (it's good, but  not "that good".)  So I will be in gustatory bliss for the next couple of months.
Here is a little aside. If you live on this planet you are familiar with the BLT. This is typically a sandwich made with bread, slathered with mayo, lots of lettuce, some bacon, and make believe tomatoes. About a month ago, I had stopped by "Butches" produce where he typically offers good, garden style produce. I picked up a couple of tomatoes which were somewhere between those offered in the grocery and the "real" tomatoes described above. I had found some "platter bacon" in the freezer (wish I could remember where I got it.) I thought, "oh, how about a BLT".. Problem; no L. Being a bit prideful about my industriousness, I decided to substitute a slice of onion for the lettuce; a BOT sandwich. Actually  I think I liked it better than the BLT. Oh, I need to take another small rabbit trail. A few years ago, Arbys came out with their "Market Fresh" sandwiches, including a BLT. One of the things Georgia and I have slowly removed from our diet is mayo. Not that we don't like it, but even "low fat" mayo is essentially fat. We have decided we could live without it, therefore often split one of these sandwiches without mayo. So in my BOT,, with the added flavor and bite of the onion, the mayo was really unnecessary.  So the next day, near lunch time, I found a portion of an avocado in the fridge. Yup, then was born, the BAT. Different, but to me very tasty. So my analytical mind started to hone in on the reputation and essence of the BLT. First, I think we all think of the BLT as a tasty treat. Where does the taste come from. Bacon, of course, is the essence of taste. A BLT without bacon is truly missing something. Ripe tomatoes of course bring taste (But only if they are those described above.) Sadly, most BLT's are made with those artificial tomatoes, thus there is no tomato taste. Lettuce???? what is the purpose of the lettuce? If you offer someone a handful of bacon, most meat-eating people will grab for it unless they are in the throws of a food guilt trip or some other form of "dieting". I know there are those who don't like tomatoes, but I must maintain that these people have never had a real tomato. I will simply say that the "real" tomato brings it's own flavor without the guilt of the bacon.  Oh, the lettuce. I maintain that if you are  offered a handful of lettuce without bacon, tomato or mayo ( or something else with flavor), you will only eat the lettuce to make a point, or possibly for the vitamins and minerals. There is essentially no  taste. The purpose of the lettuce is to dissuage the guilt feelings over the bacon (and mayo). In essence, the lettuce serves no real purpose in a BLT, so I encourage you to experiment. Try an equally healthy BOT (more healthy without the unnecessary mayo). Try a BAT. Here you pick up a little fat to replace the mayo. This is all I've tried, but I'm expecting you can get some great flavor from a BRT (Radish), BPT (sub a bell or possibly hot form of pepper), and what about a BET (bacon, egg, tomato).  There really is no limit. In fact if you want to really indulge in flavor without care for the fat, simply slather a mess of mayo onto hot freshly toasted bread and add some candied bacon and vine ripened tomato. Oh, I'm slobbering already!..You will not miss the lettuce.  I know that this will work because although introduced by one of the chain eating establishments (maybe Outback?) the grocery stores carry a tangy tomato bacon salad dressing. That can make even a bowl of lettuce tasty. Hopefully I've helped you understand that most Americans have never tasted a "real" tomato, but because we think it should be tasty, will order it, or pick it up in a grocery when we know we are going to be disappointed. If you can find a space in the sun, do yourself a favor and grow some tomatoes. I also encourage you to experiment with versions of the revered BLT. Enjoy!

Here's a June 2012 update:
Yesterday I arrived at the B&B a little early, so rode my bike around the lot for a few minutes. I saw a water hose out back leading across the lot so I followed it. There I found this great little patch of tomato plants. My mind started racing to adding a slice of vine ripened tomato to my "usual" B&B breakfast. This morning I made that announcement to Deb (April was on yesterday morning). Deb said, "and with gravy?"... Hmmmm, never tried that. so with my "usual", came a slice of fresh tomato with sausage gravy. That was very tasty and I can just imagine what it will be like with a vine ripened one. Of course, the gravy part (being another of my favorite "country food" staples) would not help my battle of the bulge, but I will have to try it once in a while as a "treat".... To me it would be like ice cream to others.