Bad News And Good

I have always wondered what types of people pick the bad news first as opposed to those who want the good news first. I think there’s a thesis in there for somebody.  I am in the bad news first category.” Get it over with”, I say.

 So in that spirit, my bad news (and it is very bad indeed) is that RAMbo is dead. We had been watching him decline, rally, decline, and rally for a while now but I think a combination of several fly strike attacks and the drought were too much for my old nemesis. I actually cried when Yael brought me the news. The place doesn’t seem the same without him. The ewes certainly aren’t the same. Well, part of it may be that we separated all 3 rams from the ewes. Anyway, whenever I traverse the ewes’ paddock, they stand their ground and just watch me. No more running away. Either they are wrapped up in their grief or they have finally realized that the Grim Reaper is a more serious adversary than I could ever be.

The rest of the bad news is that the drought continues to take a toll on everything including my garden. Dan had me put in 2 varieties

 of heritage tomatoes, Bloody Butcher (who thinks up these names?) and Black Krim.

Bloody Butcher has been producing well but the fruit is only slightly larger than the average cherry tomato. Our cherry tomatoes are only popping at about half their rate of last year. And then we have the laggardly Black Krim. I just got our first fruit yesterday. Four plants and we have gotten 4 tomatoes. They are normal sized but nothing to write home about (or blog about for that matter). What they are is gorgeous. I have included a picture of one next to 4 cherry tomatoes so you can see the difference in both size and color. I wish I could paint. They are striking in color and have a slightly bland, sweetish taste. I’ll try them again next year; hopefully without a drought.