Now that winter is rearing its icy head, I am not one of those people who wax nostalgic about fireplaces and heating their homes with open fireplaces or wood/coal burning stoves or furnaces.

First things first because I’ve had well over a dozen emails or phone calls on the subject. Team TKO raised just over $3,000 this year in the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Tour de Cure event that was held on May 19. Thank you, thank you, thank you, readers for coming through for us yet again!

And, yes I do know that I owe many of you a huge apology for sending you to Apollo’s Pizza on May 25 when, in fact, the Apollo’s fundraiser was May 14. Please lay the blame for that mistake on Mr. Parkinson. Surely you know that yours truly would never make a screw up like that unless he had some help.

Actually, Mr. P. makes typing much, much more difficult for me than it would otherwise be and, for that reason, I take every shortcut possible to speed things up when I am preparing a document and I am, therefore, prone to “copying and pasting.” I simply went to last year’s Apollo’s announcement and copied/ pasted it onto the end of this year’s May 9-14 column and forgot to change the date. Last year the fundraiser was, in fact, on May 25.

Needless to say, those of us who showed up on the 14th were not overcrowded and we raised less than half of what that fundraiser normally provides. And, even though it did nothing to help our cause if you went to Apollo’s on May 25, you still have to concede that you did, at least, treat yourself to some mighty fine pizza.

Even though the ADA 2018 Kentucky Tour website is showing our team a $2,845, the Apollo’s check will put us over the $3,000 mark when we get it deposited.

In the meantime grandson, Tyler Kane Ochs (TKO), says he will have to proofread next year’s announcement before I’m allowed to use his name in the paper. Tyler says the whole load for getting a crowd to turn out to Apollo’s should not have to fall on his shoulders but, come 2019, he’ll be keeping a closer eye on grandpa.

In other news, the big vegetable garden that my brother Andy and I have going is coming right along. Without going into specifics, we have over 50 varieties under cultivation and will add another 10 or so if the good Lord’s willing and we stay able.

Unfortunately, we already have 13 varieties of tomatoes among the 37 mater plants already out there and we’ll add one more just to stay away from the number 13. The reason for this has to do with my addiction/obsession with greenhouses. I’m making a vow to raise every plant that goes into the garden come 2019 will be started from seed by me. Not only that, but 90 percent or more of the seeds will be saved from stuff I’m growing this year. I’m currently trying to find a 12 step program called greenhouse addicts anonymous.

Of all the small greenhouses I visited this year, not a single one had Big Bertha bell peppers. I wound up buying two Big Bertha plants at Wally World for $3.10 each! I’m used to paying two bucks for a six pack. The only reason I bought them is to hopefully, grow one pepper to maturity and save seeds from it. Pepper is arguably the easiest of all vegetable seeds to save and store. Unfortunately most pepper varieties are hybrid these days, which means the seeds are practically useless. Big Bertha is an open pollinated variety and, in my opinion, the best home garden pepper I’ve ever grown.

A friend in England sent me seeds of a cucumber called “telegraph” that is wildly popular throughout Great Britain. Telegraph is an open pollinated variety that we loved when I grew them a few years back.

I forgot to save seeds and discovered that the very few seed companies that carry them have them priced like gold nuggets. I emailed my friend, Eloise Sumpter, who lives in The Cotswold’s, and she promptly airmailed a couple dozen telegraph seeds. Every single one sprouted after I started them in 4 ounce peat pots and they went into the garden on Memorial Day. As the Donald is fond of saying, “We’ll see.”

Reach longtime Enterprise columnist Ike Adams at ikeadams@aol.com or on Facebook or 249 Charlie Brown Road, Paint Lick, KY 40461.