AUGUSTINE AND HELLER

Tomatoes, mozzarella and basil drizzled with olive oil and tad of red vinegar is a great dish. But by the time the summer is over, I expect to be sick of it.

I keep serving that dish, you see, because it allows me to utilize the only thing I'm having great luck in *harvesting* this season: basil. To wit, whenever I get anything from that begrudging hellhole that passes off as my garden, it's so rare I need to belabor it--so, here's moi latest

THE CITY SLICKER'S HARVEST TALLY, to date

1 yellow squash
1 cherry
18 sprigs of basil
2 Santa Rosa plums

Here's a list of plants that simply refuse to give up anything for Moi: tomatoes, eggplants, melon, squash, mint, parsley, ... I could go on but this paragraph is irritating me.

Anyway, cocktail hour this afternoon will be with visiting poets Jane Augustine and Michael Heller. No doubt, I'll serve them some basil, bronzed. And they best be grateful! Okay...must get to that bronzin'...!

Which is all a long, summery way to get to say, if you don't know the works of these two poets....this is a recommendation to explore...!