I think I finally figured out what was going on with my garden this year. The tomatoes just weren't ripening the way they usually do and I couldn't understand why. Turns out I was watering them too late in the evening which was keeping the soil too damp overnight. A friend suggested I switch to morning watering and within two weeks the difference was remarkable. The leaves perked up and now the fruits are turning red much faster. I also added a bit of straw mulch around the base to keep the moisture more consistent. It's funny how such a small change can make such a big difference. The basil on the other hand has been absolutely thriving. I probably have more than I know what to do with. I've been making pesto and freezing it in ice cube trays so I have fresh basil flavor all winter long. My neighbor said she does the same thing with her herbs and it works great.

I also tried a new variety of cucumber this year, the lemon cucumber, and it has been such a pleasant surprise. They are small, round, and pale yellow with a really mild flavor. My kids actually eat them straight off the vine which never happened with the regular ones. Next year I want to expand the bed and add some peppers and maybe even a small melon patch. The soil here is pretty sandy so I have been mixing in compost every season and it is slowly improving. I am already looking forward to next spring even though this season isn't over yet.

I finally got around to organizing my bookshelf this weekend and honestly it turned into a much bigger project than I anticipated. I started by taking every single book off the shelves and dusting everything. Then I tried to decide on a system. By author seemed too obvious. By color looked pretty but impractical. I ended up going with a loose genre arrangement with a few display sections for my favorite covers. The whole process took about four hours and I even found a library book that I thought I had lost. The late fees were surprisingly low though so that was a relief. My cat decided to help by sitting in the middle of the pile the entire time which was not particularly useful but very cute. I also discovered that I have way too many cookbooks for someone who only makes about five recipes regularly. Maybe that's my next project actually trying more of them.

I also rearranged the furniture in the living room to make the bookshelf more of a focal point and now the whole room feels different. The morning light hits that corner perfectly and it makes the space feel so much larger. I found a small reading chair at a secondhand store that fits perfectly next to it. My friend said I should start a little book swap with neighbors since I have so many duplicates. I might actually do that. It would be a nice way to meet more people in the neighborhood and clear out some space at the same time.