It is also time for me to start blogging again. I know, I know, this should be a year-round thing but as I get older, I get more and more tired. Sometimes I think I have three brain cells left in my head!

I realized that I have been The Tomato Lady for almost 30 years. I also realize that I don’t know everything! I am very good at what I do but there is always something to learn. Not only from the internet, books, my fellow growers, but from my customers as well. The picture below represents my inside growing space.

To catch up, after finishing our season at the end of May, I figured I’d have time to ride my horse more, take care of my garden, start some new projects, entertain etc. June was good, I helped with a despooking clinic with Spokane Mounted Patrol, had a big Fourth of July BBQ, got my garden in order, the usual summer things.

The best-laid plans of mice, men and Elizabeth.

On July 30, I moved my horse to another boarding place. The next day, I went up to settle her in. I had barely gotten out of the car, stood in the yard for five minutes and WHAM! One of the dogs had run into the back of my leg. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground and my head was bleeding profusely from a 3-inch laceration. I couldn’t stand because my leg hurt when I tried to walk. Other than that, it didn’t hurt much except I had two places on my leg that were swelling. As it turns out, I had broken my leg (tibula) in three places. a spiral fracture up by my knee replacement and a fractured ankle. (I have had two bone density screenings and they were fine) Don’t ask me how that happened.

To make a long story short, I went to the hospital where they took x-rays and saw the damage. I spent a week there, went to a rehab place for a week (don’t ask) and then was able to come home. I went from a full leg splint, to a full leg cast, (I got to choose the color, purple,) and then eventually into a full leg brace.

I sat for almost 3 months, (not patiently, I might add) renewing my interest in handwork such silk ribbon embroidery, wool felt design and my Copic markers. Steve took great care of me, he even dragged me out once a week to the garden. The gravel and bark made it supremely difficult to wheel me around so he had to drag me backwards.

I wanted so badly to pull weeds, pick beans, tomatoes and flowers. Wasn’t going to happen. It was nice to get outside though. Sometimes I think I was born to be a trainwreck! The same leg I broke my femur (in two places also) three years ago. This time I wasn’t doing anything inherently dangerous, like rock climbing, sky diving, bridge jumping, barrel racing, or deep sea diving.

Enough of what I did this summer! I hope everyone had a better summer than I did. Today and yesterday, I planted all of the pepper seeds that I had and planted them under lights. If they all come up, I will have 164 varieties, as opposed to 120 last year. Again, I don’t know what happened. I still have some coming in from the seed companies. We also had a customer charge us with growing some of his.

So it has begun, we have started planting. Right now it is peppers and some flowers. Pansies, begonias and I am going to try Lisianthus. I am also trying some new techniques, at least new to us. I am using domes over the begonias and pansies, it helps keep in the moisture/humidity. When the pansies germinate, they will relocate to a cooler heated greenhouse to see how they do. They like cooler temps.