White Lightning Axiom: Redux

Ack ... Lileks put out a his traditional Minnesotan moaning that Summer is almost over now that it has started:

It's time to panic, people: summer's begun -- and that means it'll be over soon. We're halfway to the middle of June, at which point we'll be halfway to July; then the Fourth, a day immediately followed by the colossally depressing sight of school supplies at Target. Six weeks after that, the Oreo fillings in the grocery store displays will turn orange, signaling the start of that great sodden wad of holidays, Hallowthanksmas Eve.

Well, he does have a point. Just the other day, I picked my first green pepper out of the garden. It was a 'Gypsy Sweet Pepper'. Yeah, sure, it was a bit small, a tad green and not all that sweet. But hey, it was the first pepper and dammit, I'm going to pick it, eat it and enjoy it no matter how acrid tasting it is! The tomatoes are well on their way to producing a good batch of fire-cracker 100 cherries so I'm pretty happy. The basil and other assorted herbs are well on their way. My creeping thyme is conquering some more territory off to the side of the slate-rock patio (that Dad - the working maniac he is - helped me install). So all in all, the summer veggie festival is well under way. Of course, there are some disappointments. The onions look pretty pathetic and the peas are sparse. Oh well, I have 2 rows of carrots and 3 rows of Green-beans to make up for that. The squash is presenting itself as 4 enormous mounds of green (with 1 volunteer zucchini plant, which will probably take over the whole squash interdiction zone). Things are looking good for the Agricultural Progress Zone in the Western District of the Haupert-Woo Independent City State. So while there is predicted snow and Ice-Age temperatures in Minnesota, I'll swelter away here in Pennsyltucky proudly surveying my horticultural dominion.