Last BIG Harvest of the Season

Even though we've got another small heat wave rolling in this weekend, autumn is still coming..time to start thinking about cleaning up the garden and trimming back landscaping around the house.
This will be the last big tomato harvest of the year. Which is sad and fantastic all at the same time. My freezer can't take ANY MORE tomatoes!

Had about five gallons harvested when the dust settled. I also trimmed the plants back quite a bit - hopefully they'll get a little more sun and air this way, and they can focus on ripening the fruit that's still left on the vine. Not sure where I'll put all the fruit that's left on the vine..but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Classin' up the joint

Remember this?

Keep an eye on that pile of bricks.

Originally, there were two steps - now there will only be one.

All formed up and ready to pour!

One step here, one step at the City sidewalk, and a slightly steeper pitch in between.

Apparently it took a lot of cement..

Ta-da!

Here's my dilemma, gang: which pattern do you like the best? I'll be bricking the treads on both steps and the entire sidewalk in between. Use your imagination to fill in the blanks :)
A basic basket weave?

Basket weave with a thin edge?

..with a thick edge?

Herringbone? (I like all three patterns, but I felt like the border gave everything a more finished look. Thoughts?)

..with a thin edge? This was one of my favorites.

..with a thick border? (I don't care for the thick edging on the basket weave or the herringbone patterns. I would like it more if the walk were wider..maybe.)

This was the ONE time I liked the thick border. A basic running bond going the length of the walkway.

A horizontal running bond with a thin edge. I liked this one a lot. Plus, with the long grout lines running across the sidewalk, you won't see imperfections in the lines like you would if it ran lengthwise. OCD..

Quick lunch yesterday: pesto pasta with a sliced heirloom tomato. If you think I've only eaten pasta and tomatoes this summer........you'd be absolutely correct :)