Summertime is dry season here, so unless it's regularly irrigated, most areas turn golden yellow. The same color as a certain little dog. The dry grass leads to brush fires, so keeping open areas mowed is essential.
All summer long, we've had a bounty crop of tomatoes in our backyard--overflowing the sides of my planter box as they got heavy and ripened. All summer long, Cabana never touched them. She showed no interest, never looked at them, never sniffed them.
BUT about two weeks ago, my little cherry tomatoes got to that overripe stage, where they burst through their own skins, exposing their juice and seeds. All of the sudden, the tomatoes became the focal point of Cabana's attention in our yard. I caught her eating one of these overripe guys--and that was the end of undisturbed tomatoes. 
Since that time, I don't think Cabana's eaten many more ripe tomatoes. Instead, she likes to find hard green cherry tomatoes and hold them in her mouth. I can see her rolling it around in her mouth like a marble. When I catch her with one, she spits it out, whole and unsquished. Still, tomatoes are so acidic, and I don't think it's good for her tummy to be eating them, whatever color or degree of ripeness.
In order to keep Cabana away from the tomatoes, I haven't been letting her roam in the backyard off-leash. This was okay for a while because it was rainy and wet, and I didn't want her walking through mud and dirt anyway. But now that the weather is nice again, I'd like to give Cabana some of her freedom back.
So today, I'll pick what I can, then the rest of the tomatoes are going in the compost. I think my family has had their fill of tomatoes for the season anyway. I've fixed tomatoes and/or zucchini in some form just about every night for the past couple months! Thank goodness that all good things must come to an end.
Today, my daughters and I went swimming at the pool where I work. Unfortunately, Cabana still wasn't too keen on swimming. She likes being around the pool, but not so much IN the pool. Mostly, Cabana ended up laying on the hot cement. I tried to get her to lay on a towel in the shade--but she opted for the heat instead. Must be the yellow Lab thing that Emily referred to!
Later this week, we'll be attending a 4th of July party at a friend's house, but we don't plan to stay out to see fireworks. It might be too much for Cabana if we tried to take her. And because certain fireworks are legal in our county, there will definitely be a lot of loud ones set off in our neighborhood. Even though Cabana doesn't have fear issues, I wouldn't want to leave Cabana home by herself, in case the sounds are frightening to her. So we'll forego the oohs and aahhs for this year.
Then later this month, we'll be going camping. I will endure Cabana's snores close at hand, since we'll have her sleep in the tent with us. I'm going to bring my ear plugs for sure. Cabana will have to be on tie down throughout most of the day--so she'll get a lot of practice on that.
With July upon us, there's so much about dogs and summertime that will be new to me--things like tender foot pads walking on hot cement, keeping Cabana cool and comfortable, and other safety concerns. Any tips on any/all these issues would be appreciated!!
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