Fruits of Winter

This was the view of the front yard on Thursday, through the frost of the window. It snowed almost all day and was gloomy and cold. We got about 10 inches of snow that day, and the temperatures went down to minus 30 last night. Today is allegedly warming up to minus 12, and it may even get to plus six on Tuesday. But right now it's cold and the sun is shining.

When I went out to shovel off the front deck I looked back into the doors of the kitchen and saw my tomatoes growing from a new vantage point and so I took this photo in the shadow of my snow shovel. These tomatoes are delicious, the most delicious tomatoes I've ever eaten. The variety is "Sugary" and I got them from T&T seeds out of Manitoba. They are a miniature plum tomato, and they are sweet, not acidic at all, and have an intense tomato flavor. I can't describe them adequately, they are sublime. I think they are best eaten raw, with basil in a salad, on Greek salad with feta, or just alone like grapes. They make you believe that tomatoes are fruit, not vegetables. And I'm not really a tomato fan per se, but these have shown me what tomatoes are capable of tasting like. Compared to these, any tomato I've tasted from a store or a market is as succulent as cardboard.

I brought in all 10 pots of them before the frost, and as you can see they are doing well in the southern window, and even better in my west window. Some of the plants are blooming.



"Sugary"



 Uncle Chewy had to do some watchdogging this morning, there was something crunching around in the snow.

 Then it was back inside where Jenny claimed a spot in the sun. The poor girl can't stay out too long in this weather, her feet freeze easily, she lifts her paws up within only a few minutes of being outside. I know what that is like, I froze my fingers and toes very badly on my one and only ski trip to Banff. I went with the philosophy department at the university when I was about 19, and had never been allowed to ski before (I was in ballet at the time and we weren't allowed to do any activity that would possibly risk breaking a leg or we would be finished). Anyway, philosophers are not very practical people, or they weren't with me, and after one day on the bunny hill they took me up to the top of the advanced run (the top of a mountain really, about 6 chair lifts up) and abandoned me there to find my own way down. It was sometimes terrifying and it took me hours to get down. Because I was in rented equipment I wasn't prepared to be outside in minus 20 degree weather, and so the tips of my fingers, toes, ears and nose froze. They turned white, and then looked like they were burned. When I got to the ski lodge finally, I had to endure what felt like burning metal clamps squeezing my fingers and toes for about six hours. Now whenever I am out in the severe cold I get the same feeling within minutes of exposure to the air. It's very painful and so I sympathize with poor Jenny and her sore toes.

And Chewy was back in to wait for some bacon and scrambled eggs. Kylie is off somewhere chewing on a bone.

The little one curled up beside Uncle Chewy in the sun.  Everyone is doing great, the little one is as smart as a whip, she learns words very easily. Housebreaking is a bit of a challenge in this cold weather though. The dogs all get along very well, everyone shares (even bones) and no one snarls. The mastiffs are super foster parents. Chewy acts like a dad and intervenes when the little one roughhouses a bit too much. He also intercedes while the cats and new dogs get to know one another.*  Kylie sometimes plays with Daisy and lets Daisy put her head in her mouth where apparently Kylie has stashed some crumbs in her lips. Maybe you have to be a dog person to appreciate that.

This is what happens when I ask the dogs to vacuum the floor.

Peace be with you.

*It takes a while for a new dog to understand cat body language. For example, when a cat has his tail up it means he's happy and calm. When a dog has her tail up it means they are leading and asking you to watch them for signs that there may be danger ahead. So sometimes miscommunications happen when they're getting to know each other.