In Praise of the August Tomato

Hallelujah! Tomatoes...red, yellow and green zebra...my weekly pickup at First Root Farm, our local CSA (community supported agriculture) farm in Concord, MA, yielded a rainbow of August tomatoes today. This has been a hard year for our finicky tomato friends, too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry, falling victim to fungi and hornworms; so these August jewels seemed even more precious as I carried them home.  Each year I am reminded that freshly picked August tomatoes, still warm from the sun, taste like nothing else in the world.  I sliced the tomatoes, tossed them gently with fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil and a touch of freshly ground black pepper. The epitome of a mindful moment; all five senses heightened.  I am again reminded that life is delicious.

Stress Reduction on a Parking Ticket?

I did a double take when I heard this story on the news today: the city of Cambridge MA has new parking violation tickets with yoga poses printed on the reverse side. Stress-producing to receive a ticket but stress-relieving to do the yoga poses after receiving a ticket? I will be interested to follow this story and hear reactions as people start receiving the yoga parking tickets. If you are one of the "lucky" ticket holders, please comment on this blog. Click here to read the story.