This and That

This is an Early Girl tomato that Joe planted. It is so short and loaded with tomatoes. This picture is a week or so old...now they are turning and we've picked a couple of them. They are all bunched together and are very hard. The plant had an Early Girl name on the label and it said it was an indeterminate plant. Have any of you experienced this? Our other tomatoes...Big
Boy, Supersonic etc are all growing tall and the tomatoes are spaced out...not in a bunch like this one.

Today is much cooler and I got started really early. Things needed to be tidied up a bit. The Hens and Chicks sent up their (ugly flowers) and it was time to lop them off. The Knockouts needed to have their dried blossoms cut off. The Lilies are starting to fade, except for my StarGazers...they are so pretty. You see them everywhere, but they are still a favorite of mine. I never get tired of them. Going around to my little "herb" garden...I notice that the leaves have been chewed off of my cherry tomato plant. Joe brought in a horn worm that was on his plants and I guess they have been busy chewing on mine too. I couldn't find the culprit...I just picked a handful of tomatoes and put them in my pockets. I didn't see any Japanese beetles, however, on my plants. Can I rest assured that they are gone? It seems that we get our gardens just the way we want them and nature sends us a zinger and we get pests like these. We only have a few tomato plants, but I can just imagine if we had a garden full of them...how upset we would be. We were driving the other day and Joe kept commenting on the crops and how they needed rain. He was comparing one farmer's corn against another. I said, "You should have been a farmer." He said, "I would worry too much about the weather etc." I could just envision him pacing the fields and muttering to himself about Mother Nature. I think that farmer's must have the patience of Job. They plant their seeds and then wait, with calmness, to see what happens. They can water and fertilize and that's about it. We've had just about the right amount of rain...that should help the farmers. I noticed sweet corn for sale along the roads just yesterday. When I see corn being sold...I think that summer is about over...soon it will be harvest time and the farmer's markets will have tables full of produce. Well, that's about it for today. Joe has an appointment this afternoon and I'm going too. I thought that I would end with a little poem that I wrote about the hornworm...

The Tomato Hornworm, by Balisha

I woke up in the morning and went out in the yard..
I was looking for tomatoes..it wasn't very hard.
They once were in their place and very very small..
But now they grew so lush and were so very tall.
Some branches sticking out were suddenly so bare...
It seems tomato hornworms had overnight been there.
I looked at my fine treasures and wondered what to do..
Marnie says to leave them and let them eat a few.
I hesitate for moments not knowing what comes next..
My busy mind is spinning and I'm suddenly perplexed.
Do I turn and leave the scene.. and simply let them chomp..
Or do what I would call the tomato hornworm stomp?
Oh, Marnie, I'm so sorry...I really can't agree..
If you were here right with me...I'd get down on my knee.
And beg you look the other way and never turn around..
While I kill the nasty beast without a single sound.

I wrote this for Marnie who had a wonderful blog. This was after I confessed to committing murder in the garden. I dreamed about the poem I would write, during the night and thought I would put it here to tease her a bit. She taught me a little about these creatures and I will never look at them in the same way again. Thanks, Marnie.
Balisha

This from Marnie...her response...thanks Marnie...it was fun!
For Balisha
Someone is killing hornworms,Call the CSI.
Poor little greeny wormies,Will never get to fly.
Balisha's in her garden doing the hornworm stomp.
To keep the little hornworms From doing the tomato chomp.
Pack up their little suitcase And send them here to me.
I have a spare tomato, I'll let them eat for free.
By Marnie..

I simply loved this back and forth about the worm. She doesn't post much anymore, and I truly miss her beautiful pictures and words.

Balisha