Reed,

It is good to see you back here posting. I have faith in you and believe that, even though the last few months have been rough, you will come through this whole experience a stronger person. Just know that I am sending lots of positive thoughts and positively energy to you and your family. I'm glad you are taking medication that seems to be helping and hope it is helping you to restore your health. Now, don't forget to eat! (Said just like a mom, right?) I hope your grandfather's garden is holding up well to the dry weather in Texas.

The weather this year has been all messed up and gardeners in a wide portion of the US have had major issues, particularly with tomatoes. Some years are just that way. In recent years, it seems to be that way more often than not.

My tomato year has been pretty good, likely because the rainfall keeps missing us, so at least fungal diseases aren't a problem here, and neither is fruit set. Spider mites are hitting the plants extra hard, and grasshoppers are eating all their leaves, so my spring-planted plants are about done, but the fall tomato plants already have set fruit, so maybe it will be a good fall tomato crop.

Our cucumbers, like yours, have been excellent, which is incredibly rare. Usually the cucumber beetles bring disease to the cucumbers as early as June and cut the cuke season short. Here it is August, and we still are harvesting lots of cucumbers. We haven't had cucumber beetles this year and, at least in our garden, that has made a huge difference.

Every gardening year starts off with such promise, and then Mother Nature starts flinging extreme weather at us in all its various forms and we realize it will be a battle to keep our plants happy and to get a good harvest. Some years it is just almost impossible. Yet, the next year, we try it again. I think that gardeners (and, in particular, market gardeners and farmers) must be the most optimistic people on the face of the earth.

The nice thing about gardening here is that we get a second chance with many crops for a fall harvest.

This is a good time of year to reflect on what worked in the garden, what didn't, and what to do the same or differently next year.

It is so hard to believe it is mid-August already. Seems like the time has flown this year.

Dawn

I wish the best for you. When you first posted about losing your job I thought of giving you my two cents but thought again. What I was going to say is that now that I am considered a senior, I can look back and see that most of the things I worried about turned out OK. I did lose a brother to cancer that was something bad. Relationships that ended turned out to be a good in the long run when I look back years later. Once at a meeting a mental health person said that a depressed person in a beautiful meadow on a spring day only sees the cow manure at his/her feet instead of looking up at the beautiful scene.

Reed, I am so sorry to hear that. I am victim of a "nervous stomach" and during hard times in my life, I cannot eat. It all plays into anxiety and acid reflux and stress and blah, blah, blah, but the bottom line is I don't want to eat if I feel bad, and eating can make me feel worse, ergo ...

In addition to medication, I would definitely recommend a professional listening ear - it can be invaluable. In lean times, it has been more important to me than eating out, than cable, etc. If you would like me to email you with a name, I'd be happy to - just hit me up through my GW link.

You know the saying, "Fat and happy?" I am a firm believer that in my case, it's true. Would I like to be thinner? Sure - show me a woman that doesn't want to be thinner. But really, would I go back? Not to my anxiety level that kept me 30 lbs lighter.

Gardening is like free therapy to me, and even when I don't get much to show for it, I would do it anyway. My husband knows how much I love it, and last night even braved the rampant mosquitoes to hold my harvest bowl while I picked and picked and picked. I wish you and your wife the best.

PS - next year I will plant more Romas. I got burned on no production of a dozen slicer plants a few years ago, so transitioned to huge crops of cherry and cocktail sized tomatoes, but the processing of a little bit bigger tomato is so much easier. Romas do well for me despite the weather, so will do more of those and less tiny tomatoes next year.