While picking tomatoes in the yard the other day I could not believe the get-up I had to put on. Living in Kentucky or any other place comes with its challenges and that day it was with nature.
The all-volunteer group of tomato vines in question had suddenly appeared late June, first as possible weeds. To pull or not to pull, that is the question. Having moved into a new-to-me house last fall most things had given their best for the year and rested in dormancy, apparently the pungent smelling-green rubbing off on you-mosquito and spider infested vines had taken their long winter’s nap as well.
Add water and sunshine and you have the fastest growing patch I’ve ever seen. Seeming like snakes, they meander through the fence, patio and pergola popping their small red medallions to lure the new home owner into the “I’ve got a garden” phase of summer.
That is all well and good.
If you know anything of the mid-south you’ve heard of chiggers, june-bugs, noseums, etc. Well…I don’t know what live in my tomato patch but I’ve felt their wrath more than once. A leisurely grab for a salad topper turned into a battle with exactly how much Cortizone-10 was available at Walgreens (I recommend the menthol stick). Those pests feasted on my tender skin and left welts and blisters for two weeks.
I would not be lunch for pests this time. Crawling into the back of the closet where everything long lives for the summer, I assembled my armor. Jeans, long-sleeve t-shirt, tall socks, and even gloves, make my chain mail complete on that hot summer day as I sacrificed a little pride and sweat to harvest hundreds of cherry-pickin’ tomatoes from my patio tangle.
It’s been a few days since the debacle and apparently the garb kept me safe this time. No more “pickin'” in shorts and a tank top for this Wildcat. Chomp on someone else you microscopic beasts…which brings me to why I’m writing this piece…
Another bug has been eliminated just today, or in the 2019 model year to be exact…yes…it’s true…bye bye Volkswagen Beetle.
The iconic, eye-catching flagship of VW for over seven decades will go out with a bang by hosting Safari Uni and Stonewashed Blue in the final palette in addition to Pure White, Deep Black Pearl, and Platinum Grey.
Unique wheels, chrome accents and Bi-Xenon® headlights in the SEL trim give the final run sparkle. “Turbo” badging will be replaced with “Beetle” badging visible on the tailgate for those inching in to see Volkswagen’s final effort.
Slug-bug will go down in history as one of the favorite road trip games thanks to VW…our grandchildren will not know what to do. Tesla-taps or Alpha-antics will not be the same.
The year long celebration of this Bug will be epic before it ceases to exist in July 2019.
Bugs alive or metal seem to come and go.
I will be sad to see this metal memory maker take its leave.
Not so much the live ones though…bring on fall y’all.
julesonwheelz
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