Blooms

 I've got to admit that I have been a bit nervous about the tomatoes.....I've spent a bunch of time exploring the different varieties, building the hot house, planting the seeds, watering them, preparing the soil last fall with the fertalizer, fencing them in with chicken wire to prevent them from becoming our backyard rabbits gourmet meal, transplanting them from the seedling containers to the raised beds.......I haven't seen any blooms.........till yesterday ! It looks like they called a square-dance, a party, a global get to gather.....I have blooms. It's going to be a good year. YaHOOOOOOOO !!! More to be written soon with explanatory images !

Back to the tomatoes...

They are growing like weeds. I staked them up day before yesterday with bamboo that I got at Lowes. It's cheap and I have used the same pieces for several years now. One change that I did make this year was to use zip ties to hold them together. In the past I used florist tape which really wasn't too satisfactory due to deterioration in the sun through the summer. I also have chicken wire around the beds to keep our rabbits at bay.

We should have tomatoes to last all summer and maybe start to can some.

                        We have all the jars and stuff from Karens moms former canning days so 

it may be a very interesting and new learning experience fall for me.

A friends sculpture work from the 70's....

 I was recently in contact with a classmate of mine from SMS  in Springfield who is now living in Russia but traveling in Texas to keep his citizenship intact. I had no money above living expenses while a student but was working for Don Sothern and told him he should go to the Art Auction the art department was holding. He went and bought sculpture piece from Frank Williams that I really wished I could have. I have always felt that it was a piece that marked times in attitude and style. Don put it in his studio. About ten years later I dropped in the studio to see Don and saw the sculpture and commented on how much I liked it. "Wanna buy it ", he said. I knew how much he paid for it so I offered him about a hundred less. He then exclaimed that he paid 100 dollars more  than I was offering so I added a hundred and he took it. That was about 1970 and I've had it ever sense. While in Springfield Frank had a leather shop a couple of blocks fro9m Dons studio. I dropped in and bought a bottle bound in leather with part of the previous nights meal and named it dinner bottle. As seen below..........Long live the 70's....