Homegrown Tomatoes

For the first time since Katrina blew through, I’ve planted a few things for the simple pleasure watching things grow holds.  The satisfaction of looking out over my “green babies” is one I’d almost forgotten.  When I spotted my first tomato I broke out in a shout of glee.  My DH thought something had a grip on me and came running (which is difficult for him these days) to my rescue.  The tomato I celebrated was barely visible to the human eye, but I immediately anticipated the wonderful, sweet taste it would one day soon have.  I understand I’ll have competition to be first to taste the season’s first offering.  My grandson Preston is a connoisseur of fresh tomatoes.  He plucks them from the vine and pops them into his mouth bypassing washing altogether.   He sounds like pretty tough competition, and how could a grandmother not yield to such a cute little tomato-lover! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My return to gardening is small scale.  I’ve planted just enough vegetables to nourish the long neglected gardener in me.  If everything grows and bears well, there will be abundant tomatoes for eating and canning, and peppers enough for making salsa.  Fresh herbs grow along side my vegetables.  There’s something extraordinarily satisfying about growing herbs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking after growing things requires time and special care.  We’re blessed with native help…special, bug-eating sentries, so to speak…with an ever-growing population inhabiting our little habitat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry   I couldn’t resist.

 

There’s one more really exciting (to me) thing planted in my yard.  In the days before Katrina hit, I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting my then online-friend Faye and her family in person.   My DH, DGD Kirsten and I made a trip to Colorado to deliver a horse and made a side-trip to their house for a visit.  Faye has a wonderful little place with a delightful flavour of country-living on the outskirts of her town.  There were beautiful flowers growing in her yard, and I asked permission to harvest seeds to take back to Mississippi.  I had every intention of speedily planting the seeds, but Katrina changed my mind.  That big wind hit our home before we made it back and rendered it unfit to live in.  Life as we knew it changed…abruptly.  I’ve always been taught seeds are not viable for long after their first season, but I decided to take a chance.  Nothing chanced is nothing gained…the seeds have sprouted!  Good Lord willing, beautiful hollyhocks, marigolds, zinnias and cosmos will don our landscape with *gay color.  These will be one more reminder of the precious friendship I have with the donor of the seeds. 

*(Just in case anyone wonders…that’s the pre-1960’s definition of gay…happy, cheerful, etc., etc., etc.)

 

Until next time…

remember…

Only God can grow a tomato.  All good and perfect gifts are from above.