First Tomato and Jelly Belly Compulsive Sort

Indoor Tomato

The weekends or Monday is the time I water my indoor plants (or when I see them drooping). While I was checking on them- Boom- there it was, my first tomato this season. Apparently a tomato seed sprouted with my avocado and mango pits. I knew it was in there and that it had bloomed, but I didn't think it would actually bear a tomato. It is touch and go if it will ripen or if the spider mites will find a way to suck all the liquid from it, but we shall see.

Spider mites are those things that lurk in dry places like the inside of our homes where the humidity stays really low. They love house plants and suck the sap. The way to check for them is to put a white sheet of paper under a branch and tap it. If dust falls off, check the dust for about fifteen seconds and if some of the dust has moved, then you have spider mites. They are pretty much

everywhere, but the good news is that regular

Butterflies

misting kills them (that's why people mist their

houseplants). If the infestation is really bad,

they build tiny little webs and make the leaves

look dusty, dry or bleached out.  I won't count

this as my first tomato, that really has to be in 

the garden to count as the first real tomato.

It is encouraging though.

Today the garden had two photogenic butterflies. I have to use my regular camera setting, they just won't sit still for the four shot HDR application. Today while I was there I planted tomatoes and and blackberries. A wonderful friend gave me the blackberry plants and I really can't think of any gift that I have wanted more this last year. I feel very thankful and extremely “fruitful”. Another benefit of community... friends who know what you REALLY want.

Fruit Bowl Flavored Jelly Beans

Speaking of fruit, I splurged and bought a package 

of “Fruit Bowl Flavors" Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. It is a

sure sign that I am aging. I remember marveling that

old folks always wanted fruit flavored stuff- Orange 

Crush, Grapettes or fruit punch. Now here I am

passing up chocolate for fruit bowl jelly beans. I am

enjoying them as I type. The arrangement is the work

of a closet slightly compulsive procrastinator. 

They are sorted by flavor/color from most favorite

(bottom left) to least favorite flavor (right). 

I did NOT eat them all in one sitting.