Murkiness: September 2004 Archives

J, the oldest of my three cats, doesn't listen. When the squirrels and the possum began eating the green tomatoes, I charged J with keeping the wild animals away. Nevertheless, the other night I went on the back porch and there sat J in my chair with a possum underneath feasting on a freshly stolen tomato. Treacherous cat!

Still, regardless of the cat, the squirrels, and the possum, Ann and I are picking ripe tomatoes. Not enough for the 2Rio Salsa I had hoped for, but enough to have fresh tomatoes at hand for sandwiches and salads or just for eating plain. Next year I'm planning to surround the plants in some sort of screen mesh. Maybe that way I can improve the critter-human ration of tomatoes.

The Great Forest Park Balloon Race was today. Last night it was almost impossible getting into the park for the balloon glow, so today Ann and I decided to watch the balloons as they drifted over our house. We live near the park and we're on the race route. The first balloon over was the rabbit, the pace balloon, I guess, since Energizer is the primary sponsor of the race. I had my digital camera out to take a bunch of great pictures, but right after I shot the rabbit as it floated overhead, my camera told me to replace the battery pack. It was as if the the rabbit in the battery leaped out and floated leisurely away. Ann and I then hopped on our bikes and pedalled first toward the park to catch the sight of balloons floating toward us, then turned around and chased them as they floated away. One balloon, Citi Bank, was drifting low. I yelled, "Drop a ladder!" But Citi Bank has never been customer friendly, I'm not now a customer, and the balloon kept on chasing the Rabbit.