I've picked 2 BK (ripened inside) and 2CP, 2 Grandma Mary's (but 1 seems to be softening without really ripening), multiple Latah (but the plants aren't setting any more), and a 16 oz cup of cherries (off 10-11 plants - I forget now if I snuck an extra SS100 in). A few Chadwick's cherries that are too large for cherries (crossed, saved seed) but all have concentric cracking. Have Rutgers, BW, Rose de Berne on the vines (Rose de Berne looks esp. healthy and prolific), but haven't picked any and Grandma is loaded but not turning. Oh, picked a few Cosmonaut too just starting to blush, would have left them a little longer but I watered since we hadn't had any rain since those 5 inches 10 days ago, and I didn't want them to crack. Still nothing off the Burpee plants but those and the volunteer cherry are the healthiest looking though they get less sun. Rose and SS100 don't look bad, neither do the leftover BW, Rutgers, CP I put in the row with my beans, but the CV, some of the Grandmas, and everything in 1 long row (2nd year growing tomatoes there, maybe I should have rotated) looks pretty bad. I thought I saw stem lesions on 1 Monday, didn't get out there yesterday to pull it (back to school shopping) but will have to do more cleanup today - may pull the entire row (app 50 plants). I'm afraid it may be late blight since it's been reported in the state. I thought the bush beans were about over (and hadn't been very productive) but they were full on Monday, the pole beans are coming in too, so after watering (by hand) I spent a couple of hours picking green beans and edamame, no time to clean up the tomatoes. The yellow squash and cukes are doing well this year - zucchini not so much (SB and SVB). But I only sold 1 lb of green beans, 2 yellow squash, half my cukes and no edamame last week at market, so I'm not even going back until (unless) I have tomatoes. This may be the year that puts me out of business. Everybody wants tomatoes and corn, and I don't grow corn.

I bought a 1995 Acura Legend in 1998 with 32,000 miles on it. It was a 36-month lease turn-in and was literally in PERFECT condition. It sat unsold on the Acura dealerâs used lot because it was the least expensive model, the L 4-door, with cloth interior and 5-speed manual transmission. But it was exactly what I wanted, White with Taupe interior, Bose stereo, Power seats with memory and (the best part) the sweetest 200hp 3.2L V6 Iâve ever experienced! I paid $26,000 out-the-door, which felt like a fortune at the time (I was 23). I drove it 40-50k miles per year until I was t-boned by a commercial truck in August 2005. It had just turned 329,000 miles at the time and didnât burn a drop of oil (synthetic), the clutch had only been replaced once and the transmission shifted like new. Other than scheduled maintenance, the only thing I ever had to replace was the A/C compressor and two ABS sensors. The impact was so hard the passenger-side door panel ended up breaking my right hand and forearm (it was in the middle of the car). The rearview mirror broke loose during the crash and hit me in the head just above my right ear. It left most of the glass mirror fragments in my head and took 38 staples to close the wound! I also had damage to two discs in my cervical spine that required a 3-level c-spine fusion the following year. But I was able to recover from all of those injuries, which was pretty amazing considering how bad my poor Legend looked. I bought a 2006 Mazda3 Hatchback to replace it in December 2005. Eight years later, Iâm just past 190,000 miles and going strong!

Finished The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. Agree with chisue about the self-absorbed nature of the characters, but that’s precisely the essence of teens and 20+ year year-olds in the throngs of self-doubt and self-discovery, right? Loved — simply loved — the authenticity of grad students and post-grads doing pure research (i.e. anything remotely readily applicable to real life), their life of intellectualism, poverty and blissful impracticality. Before I went into law, I did my doctorate in what was the beginnings of AI at a time when AI wasn’t a household word. With those street--creds (for what they’re worth), I can tell you the book felt like a capsule of those impossibly heady years of high-octane interdisciplinary discussions and debates that lasted all night. Evolutionary biology, yes! Stephen Gould, yes! Theory of meaning, yes, yes, yes!! Anyway, you get the point, the author gets it, it’s the real deal. As chisue points out, the book also bears witness to the sad, slow and painful unraveling of the mind of a manic-depressive. (I recall Katherine Graham’s account of her brilliant husband’s descent into bipolar disorder in her memoir from the late 1990s, with uncannily similar details of a manic-depressive’s behavior.) The writing was quite good too. Overall, a great read if you’re into subjects of this kind. 3.5 to 4 stars.

I happen to like Fords, but would never buy a small one. Detroit simply does not make good small cars - never has and never will. I currently own the mid-size Ford Edge Sport SUV with the twin-turbo V6 and love it, but it is a far better vehicle than the compact Ford Escape. If you plan on driving trips with others + luggage, I would not suggest going down to a subcompact. "Subcompact" is actually a rather elastic category, so I'd suggest aiming for the larger-size end of the subcompact models, or staying with the compact category. Be sure to purchase a cargo cover; theft is a real problem with out-of-state license plates in certain areas. - Subaru is beloved for its proprietary AWD technology, so if you need AWD it's the best option (well, the best affordable one - the best is the Audi Quattro, but it's $$$$$$$). - Toyotas are bulletproof, but the compact SUV RAV4 is their most popular model, and can be very hard to find - especially the hybrid and AWD models. - Kia has become a very "hot" badge lately, but the Hyundai models are identical (Hyundai bought Kia decades ago) and can often be found at bigger discounts. Our BFFs were in the market for a new 2nd car and after driving the Mazda 3 and 5, plus the RAV4, our friends and I were wowed by the subcompact Hyundai Kona. Much quieter, more responsive (with the turbo option), handles very well, and was more comfortable both front and back seats. They weren't concerned with storage space as their other car is a full-size SUV, however. - BE SURE to adequately test the infotainment systems on ALL the cars you like, while you are on the road during the test drive. Kia/Hyundai have a superb voice-activated infotainment system; fast and accurate. My Edge Sport has the 2nd generation of that system, and it's good (Ford leased it from BMW who developed it), but it's now two generations old and the newer 2022> Kia/Hyundai voice systems leave it in the dust, speed-wise. I mention this because Mercedes, Honda, and Toyota have been dinged by pro reviewers for having less-than-ideal systems compared to other mfgs. You really do NOT want to have to work your way through 4 layers of menus just to change the temps inside your car, LOL. - Make certain you know the details for updating the GPS maps on the infotainment system. Some mfgs are a rip-off, charging hundreds of $$$ for upgrading the maps when it's just a software reload (on a single CD, no less). On the Ford it's $70 and in fact you can buy the CD from Amazon and load it yourself. HTH! How exciting it will be for you to have a new car as you start retirement travel!