R is for Ripening

Don't get upset with me, Cara and Sandy:  I'm accelerating the ABC-Along. I'm low on time. It's an opportunity for an R. I'm taking it.

Yum.

  *sigh*

Now, R is also for Reality, and Rude Awakening. Each time I think I am just about topped out with stress and with being busy, it seems I get busier and more stressed - and then I also find out that I forgot to do laundry and all I have left is sleeveless tops, which necessitates shaving. I mean, talk about adding insult to injury, right? 

Work continues its frenzied pace. In order to protect myself, I had to loudly proclaim "We're DONE for the DAY," to an attorney and his over-eager client at the end of a long deposition day yesterday, reminding them what I had already told them, that I did not have any sleep the night before, which I'll explain below, and that I had a transcript to do this evening, and to deliver it in the morning before I return to them. They then had the audacity to ask if I could come in at 8 a.m. tomorrow (which is today by the time you read this) and have a "power lunch -- just have sandwiches here, and continue on talking."  Hello?  Madam Court Reporter over here cannot eat and work at the same time, in case you have forgotten.  I kindly asked them if they were NUTS.

And so, the reason for the not sleeping:

More horror has happened in my husband's county -- the one in which he is the State's Attorney.  (that's known as the D.A. in other jurisdictions. Don't ask me why Vermont is different -- it just is.)  This is supposed to be a sleepy little picturesque place where nothing ever happens. This is the fourth homicide in his four years in this ("part-time") office.  Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.  There's been almost no sleep in our household for a couple of days now - first there was the stewarding of the lengthy search and investigation, then the never-ending calls from two countries' worth of news reporters, police, and medical examiners. It's sad, terrible and difficult beyond words. There is no understanding it. None.

I am taking care of myself, and these crazy-busy periods are only temporary.  They just spike up every now and then -- it's an inescapable fact of our lives.  Vincent has had to move in with my sister and her family for a few days, as we are both right out straight and not home for many, many hours at a time.

You may be wondering how I'm doing against the diet colas.  I fell off the wagon over the weekend, but this week so far I am diet-cola-free.  This may account for the bahhhstard of a headache I have tonight...or it may just be the stress. Hard to tell. But regardless, I think I may have kicked the can. Now, where's that frickin' shaver?

Comments

[maggie]

ahhh, yes...I enjoyed the exact same sandwich yesterday afternoon, and will have another today. However, my tomatoes are not as big as yours...but they sure are red! :)
...get some sleep!

[Anne]

Next time they ask for a power lunch, ask which of them will feed you the grapes and which will be waving the big palm fan thingamajig.

Hope sanity resumes soon!

[sandy]

Damn. I just can't get over it. That poor boy.
Take care of yourself.xo
sincerely,
the abc flunkee

[Dave Daniels]

Mmmmm....fresh t'matas.

[Jane]

Tomato sandwiches are my essential summer food. Good excuse to eat bread, too! Sounds like you'll make it through this bout of stress. And then you have all those lovely tomatoes to deal with!

[Heather]

For headaches try Head On. I swear it works, only I don't know how. I have the sinnus one, and within 5 minutes, it's gone. Absolutely brilliant!

[Carole]

The karma that surrounds an incident like this is horrible and I'm sorry that it's part of your life because of David's job.
On a happier note, I picked my first ripe tomato yesterday. Yay!

[Cara]

Oh Norma that's awful! Take care and ABC a-long as much as you need. I'll only get a little upset. But, you know, in the best possible way. :)

[margene]

Not sure I can get past that tomato sandwish! (I wrote sandwish-because I wish it was mine!)
Take care of yourself and your hubby. You have the most roller coaster ride life of anyone I know.

[Chris]

That mater sandwich!! Yum. I'll have to post that on my fridge to remind myself that yes, I really do want to put in the work on the garden so next year I can grow my own again.

That poor little boy.

[Kathleen]

Norma...that sounds like a horrible situation...hang in there.

[JoVE]

That all sounds crap. Hope it is over soon. And folks should just NOT work through lunch. It is a bad habit even for those who could technically manage it. it's a deposition for heaven's sake. Presumably this takes mental effort. Folks need a break.

[Stephanie]

That poor woman, when I saw is on the news I wondered if it was going to land in your area. I feel just horrible for her. She's obviously terribly ill, imagine how it will be for her when she regains sense?

[hillary]

How awful! I used to vacation with my family every year on Lake Champlain and I much prefer to think of that beautiful area in that context. I hope that your husband's county returns to it's uneventful ways soon.

I don't eat fresh tomatoes but that ripe tomato sandwich looks so inviting. Great "R".

[Kirsten]

That poor, poor little boy. What an awful thing.

And by the way, in South Carolina they're called "solicitors." (Hubby was one for a while. He hated it.)

[Lee Ann]

Oh, Norma. Hang in there, sweetie. I'm on deadline all of a sudden, too (BIG math project landed in my lap) AND kid is coming home two days early because my ex is the only person in the universe who has things that have to be done by a certain time, you see. I can't wait to see her, but this means Madame HoleInHead will not be sleeping either. Sigh.

Big hug to you.

[denny Mcmillan]

I've been eating the same thing.......for days now .

hang in there.

[Martha]

Sigh... we're losing Vermont.

[Kathy]

Ok -- I'm still on "K!" :-( I'm swamped too -- isn't August supposed to be quiet?!?!?!? Terrible story up there. Take good care, okay.

[Katherine]

Eew, god, why do these things have to happen? It turns my stomach to read this kind of thing (terrible things happening in Salt Lake over the last month or so, too. So sickening.) I hope things get resolved for your husband soon, so you can both try to stop thinking about it.

I can't get over the picture of the tomatoes on the vine. Wow! That's a prolific plant!

Anyway, I hope things slow down and calm down soon. Then you can enjoy the RRRRRripening at the pace for which it was intended.

[Kathleen C]

So sorry to hear of the turmoil in your life and your neck of the woods.

The tomatoes look yummy! I've tried three years running, but maters don't seem to like my yard!

BTW, MD has "State's Attorney" too. I might not have known this, except it's an election year and the 'pollution on a stick' that is littering our area advertises several candidates for that position!

[jessie]

I believe I know which homicide you're talking about--it was all over the Free Press front page the other morning. How awful that even in our sleepy little state people do horrible things!

[christine]

I make it a rule to always consider the Court Reporter when asking for breaks, feedings, waterings, etc., but I am amazed at how many attorneys treat the Court Reporter like a machine............
Hope things settle down for you........

[Cookie]

How dreadful!

I'm glad you were able to send Vincent to his auntie during this crazy busy time. I hope you and David both can find time to keep enjoying the maters and the peace and quiet of the garden.

*hugs*

[jenifleur]

I desperately need tomato cages like yours. Mine crushed my pathetic cages in a few short weeks and are now free ranging all over the cauliflower and corn. The corn is going to lose, too.

Congrats on all your soda-free time, no matter how long or short, it's all a victory. I got horrendous headaches when I gave it up that even the sound of someone else opening a can would temporarily cure but they did go away after a couple weeks. Enough of this stress crap, I'm sick of it too and I will be ever so glad when this year is over. Wishing you some peace and quiet soon.

[Carrie]

Ahhh, I love it when the people who hold sway over your life have absolutely no clue what you do and how you do it, and think that you can just "whip something out".
Lovely tomatoes.
Sorry about the headache and the homicides. Four homicides is about 18 hours' work around these parts.

[Dusa]

Lots of weird, unsettling stuff happening in the Islands. Yuck! It's a case in point for staying home and knitting if you ask me.

And IMHO, the only way one should pronounce bastard is "Bastahhhh."

Continue to breathe deeply and eat fresh tomatoes!

[Sue]

Attorneys ...

I hope the end of the madness is soon in sight, Norma –not only insofar as your work schedules, but also the madness that manifests itself in hideous, inexplicable horrors of evil and violence.

[Laura]

I'll take my Mato Sandich on wheat toast with mayo please!!! Gosh I wish I had planted normal size tomatoes this year. I just keep going out to the garden spot and munching on cherry tomatoes - I haven't had a single one on a salad yet this year.

[Kate/Massachusetts]

Your tomatoes are incredible! Could you share some stats? What kind of tomatoes are they? Where did you get those tomato cages? What is the red plastic on the ground? Any tricks to growing such beauties?

Take a look at this Roasted Tomato Sauce. I made it recently and it is the best I have ever had! You could use up your extra tomatoes in this recipe and freeze pints for the winter! Here is the link: http://www.weeklydish.com/2006/03/21/basic-recipe-oven-roasted-tomato-sauce/

[Kristen]

EGADS! I agree with Anne--let them hire you a cabana boy! Inhale, exhale, my dear, inhale, exhale...

[Helen]

As an attorney, I think that you should remind those twits that court reporters need reasonable breaks to be able to maintain the accuracy they will so desperately need to depend on later in the course of the ligigation. power lunch indeed!

Also, the States Attorney here is called the States Attorney... or more accurately Assistant States Attorney (since I'm not sure the SA actually tries cases any more).
Tell your DH good luck. Let's hope Vermont settles down! I'm so not cool with my parent's home stepping up the murder count!

[Kathy]

Drooooool. That sandwich....I can just about taste it. Bravo.

[Manise]

Very jealous of your tomatoes- a wayward deer came and dined lastnight on 12 of my 13 green tomatoes. Couldn't figure out why, at first, a green tomato had fallen to the ground and then noticed all the others gone with out a trace. As I continued to survey my raised boxes that make up my small garden, I noticed a wee cabbage chewed all the way down to the base leaves, a cucumber plant with conveniently pruned tips, and a few pepper plants suffering the same. I guess I have been too smug about not putting up the bird netting around the circumference of my boxes and had figured my strategically placed extra tomato cages around and in some of the boxes offered enough protection- wrong!

Very sad story....

Hang in there girl. Sending hugs.

[Mel]

Okay, Norma, I'm sorry things are so busy right now. I really am. I know full well what it's like when life is flatoutwithnotimeeventopausebetweenwordstobreathe. Still, it is cruel, just plain cruel, to tease the 'materless among us with photos of oh so scrumptious 'mater samiches. Really.

[Kim]

The tomatoes are beautiful, the news story so tragic. Thinking of you, David & Vincent, wishing you strength during this storm. You fell off the wagon? Girl, I thought I was your sponsor!! You're always welcome to call, you know...!!! xoxoxo

[Marcia]

I'm sorry that such a horrible tragedy has not only occured in your community but also touched your family.

I love me some fresh 'maters. You were that kid in school who always worked ahead, weren't you?

[KnittyOtter]

I have Tomato Envy. *drools*

[Celia]

I used to have time to grow tomatoes. Tomorrow, I'm headed to the farmer's market tomato tasting event. Nothing better than vine-ripened tomatoes.

[claudia]

Your guy deserve a raise if he's prosecuting four murders in as many years. Part-time? HAH! Take care.

[jodi]

Norma, underarm hair is totally sexy on girls. You should just wear your sleeveless tops and flaunt it, like Sophia Loren. Hubba hubba!

Don't beat yourself up too much right now about the cola, a stressful time like this can be a difficult time to try to kick a fierce addiction like that. When Peter and I went off coffee, we deliberately scheduled our detox to happen between xmess and New Years so that we wouldn't have to deal with the family or the colleagues until we were human again. We did, however, have to deal with each other, and spent almost two weeks in pain and misery, fighting about whose turn it was to sit on the heating pad and whose turn it was to play games on the laptop. Maybe giving up a little vacation time to some solitary withdrawal days later on would make it easier.

[pippi]

i hope to maude you are having somewhat of a restuful weekend!

~i have been hearing about that story all week, and i have to walk away, put my fingers in my ears and hum. stuff like that tears my heart out.

your 'maters are super sexay! i only have 3 per vine! but they are blushing, finally, horrah!

i'm going to take a risk here, of making worlds collide, but do you know joe and nancy winn?