Interesting things that happened yesterday:

1. I was sitting outside talking to Teresa on the phone when a flustered young woman stopped at the head of my driveway and gesticulated toward my garden. I asked Teresa to hold on while I tried to figure out what was up. The young woman struggled to find words, apologized for her lack of English, pointed at a tomato plant. I asked if she wanted a tomato; she nodded, and I invited her to come into the garden and pick one. She did come into the garden, but instead of picking a tomato she carefully collected a handful of tomato leaves. Then she thanked me and continued on her way.

What will she use them for??

2. I fetched the mail and found a small package addressed to Mr. Ruckus Birtwistle. With much amusement, Paul opened the cat's mail and discovered that our friend Donna had sent him this fine gift:

Because Ruckus can't wear it himself, Paul has decided to wear it for him.

3. For dinner I made a spicy fish stew packed with garden bounty: green peppers, hot peppers, green beans, tomatoes, garlic, basil, homemade chicken stock, plus local hake. Potatoes were the only vegetable I had to buy; here's hoping that next year I can fix that problem. Salad was cucumbers, yogurt, dill, and baby spinach; cheddar and black pepper biscuits on the side; homemade blueberry ice cream for dessert.