The events of the last year, and particularly the last few weeks, have reminded me just how dear this man is and how much I absolutely adore him.  He’s been more of a father to me than my own could ever be.

I’m so thankful for him and for the son he raised to be so much like him.  I’m blessed to have both of these men in my life.

Gentle, yet strong. Strong, yet not hard. Emotional, yet logical.  Rational, yet full of emotion that he’s not afraid to show.   Smart.  Funny.  Patient.  Kind.  Loving.

The epitome of what my grandmother called “a good man.”

And just so damn cool!

The black thumb finally won over my tomatoes.  We chopped them down last week to put them out of their misery.  Luckily, here in Florida we’ve got time for a whole new go-around before freezing weather arrives.  I’m looking for seeds and hope to get them started this week.  Here’s what remains of my poor Roma.   Nematodes? Blight?  Bacterial disease?  I dunno.  This week I’ll get out there and pull out the roots and work on getting the soil ready for another try.I didn’t pull the cherry tomato out by the roots because I didn’t want to upset it’s basil neighbors.  By this week it’s trying desperately to make a comeback.Speaking of basil, now that it’s no longer crowded by a tomato plant it’s become a basil bush.The Thai chilies are unstoppable.  The bells are doing ok, but I’m still battling a bit of blossom-end rot.Rosemary and thyme are doing well, with lots more than I can possibly use.The lavender is growing tall.  No flowers yet but it already smells divine.The oregano is huge and in need of pruning.  Some of it is developing thick, woody stems.And that scrawny, damaged little tomato seedling that Jack couldn’t bear to throw away?  The one he put in the ground out in the yard?  It’s fared better than any of the rest so we do have a few more tomatoes destined for the table.

The garden has been sorely neglected this last few weeks and the brown black thumb has taken advantage of my distraction and taken over.  Whatever is attacking the tomatoes, it’s won.  These photos are from last week.  The ‘maters look even more pathetic this week.  The stems are just black and rotten and when they break the bigger ones are just hollowed out.  Oh well, there’s always next year.

All that brown..yikes!The cherry tomato looks like it might be the last to succumb unless I manage to save it this week.  It’s still loaded with fruit.The Roma is dying and, when you don’t get out to pick them, the tomatoes rot on the vine.  What a waste.  Sigh.The Celebrities were still producing despite their illness.The basil in the same pot is fine but the tomato is just sad.The basil bolts and I pinch and it grows and it bolts and I prune and it grows and it bolts….The Thai peppers are doing fine.  The bells are somewhere in between; not as healthy as this but not as bad as the tomato.  I just haven’t been out there to pick them before they start to rot on the plant.The rosemary, thyme and oregano are doing well.Lavender!