Bounty

I know I have a lot of harsh things to say about summer. Trust me, very few mail carriers in the southern part of the country have anything nice to say about it. Its brutal out there, and we are out in it an average of 5 hours a day, straight, with no reprieve. Every single one of us lives on the verge of heat exhaustion every day that we work. We do all the right things, stay hydrated, wear light loose clothing. And while that might keep us alive, it does virtually nothing to maintain even the slightest hint of comfort. My skin stays raw from being damp with perspiration all day long. The worst raw spot? Right around the front of my chest where the bra goes. It gets soaked and then rubs every time I turn or move or....?
I've tried to fix the problem for years....baby powder, anti-perspirants, sports bras that claim to wick moisture and dry at the speed of light. Its just too hot and humid for anything to work well. Stand outside for 4 or 5 hours at a time when its 95 plus degrees and so humid its like breathing in water. And then let me know what parts of you actually stay nice and dry....LOL.

That being said, the ONLY thing about this season that I don't passionately despise is the bounty of fresh vegetables. And this season is particularly generous, too. I am going to have to freeze some I think. I have never really canned, but I guess I could learn. But there is no way we can eat all of these veggies before they spoil. I am getting lots of tomatoes and peppers. I have eaten tomato sandwiches every day for the past couple of weeks. Is that a southern thing or do they eat these in other parts of the world? Fresh tomatoes, the homegrown flavorful kind, not the 'tasteless, engineered not to spoil for weeks at a time kind' you find at the grocery store. Tomato slices, salt, pepper, and a dash of mayo....yum. One of my customers left me a big bag of veggies in the mail box yesterday...tomatoes and peppers. LOL. So funny. I am giving them away too. Although this bag had some cucumbers as well, and we aren't growing those. And Bruce had a customer give him a huge bag of fresh corn. Its been so dry here that the corn isn't as filled out, the kernels are not quite as large and juicy as normal. But the flavor is still good and sweet and there is certainly plenty of it. Tonight we are having a tomato and cucumber salad with vinegar, and spanish rice with lots of stewed tomatoes. Its funny how I was craving a decent fresh tomato back in the winter and now I can't eat them fast enough. Tomorrow night I think I will make some homemade spaghetti sauce with the tomatoes and peppers. I can freeze leftovers. Its too bad that you can't freeze or can them in such a way that they come out fresh and perfect and ready to slice though. That would be awesome.