The Tillyville Times

Because of popular demand, the Tillyville Seasonal Greeting Cards auction on eBay will run an additional week.

The cityscapes, created from Dave Dziedzic's original art, show Tillyville in Springtime at High Noon, on Fourth of July just after Twilight Fireworks have begun, Halloween as Wendy the Witch approaches the midnight moon, and midwinter, with festivity and snowfall everywhere.

Tilly went to Elmer and Alma's Farm Stand to buy tomatoes. Tilly loved tomatoes, big flavorful tomatoes sliced thick on his sandwiches, quartered into salads, or just plain dripping on his chin as he bit into them fresh and juicy, yum, yum, yum.

It looked like Elmer and Alma had some good ones today, big and ripe and red, not overly firm or hard, not too soft and saggy. Tilly felt a few. Yes, just perfect—plump with just the right resilience. Beach Babies. He selected two and set them in the sack.

The Golden Beauties looked good, too. Skin gleaming with sunshiny goodness, they seemed to smile up at him from their soft basket bedding. Pick me, pick me, pick me! Okay, okay, okay. Tilly added three Golden Beauties to his bag.

Last on the stand, separated from the other tomatoes by a row of stern cucumbers, were the Wild Rovers. Not as abundantly big or ripely red as Beach Babies, not as generously round as Golden Beauties, the Wild Rovers exuded sass and tang. Speckles and freckles and stains and blotches skimmed across their skins, and the stems still felt of vine fuzz and gave off the sharp smell of fresh earth.

"Nothing but trouble," Elmer said, scratching his blond beard. "I don't know why I raise the rascals."

"Oh, go on," Alma answered. "You know you love them."

Tilly lifted a Wild Rover. It twisted impudently in his hand. The shape shifted, nuzzling and nipping.

"Hey," Tilly said.

"They're good with salt," Elmer advised. "Or in spaghetti sauce or chili."

"I don't know," Tilly said.

"Oh, go on," Alma said, her eyes smiling.

Tilly put the Wild Rover in the sack with the pair of Beach Babies and the trio of Golden Beauties, and handed the sack to Alma, who set it on the hanging scale. The needle swung, quivered, and stopped. "Seven pounds six ounces," Alma said. "Mm, you're gonna love these babies. Does five dollars sound about right?"

Tilly paid, and put the bag in the backseat of his car, and drove straight home. It wasn't that far. It wasn't that bouncy. But when he got home, he had a sack of tomato juice.

For full details and to place a bid, visit eBay at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2264390265

This Week in Tillyville

Combo Monday

Tuesday Tilly tries out a new recipe for Toast.

Wednesday Skinny and Chocolate battle some Dangerous Traffic

Thursday Tilly has a bad feeling about a Shortcut.

In the August 15th edition of the Tillyville Times, artist Dave Dziedzic's name was misspelled. The Times regrets this error.