Reality Check with Ann Downing...

I love to raise tomatoes, 'cause I love tomatoes :).  I will have to say, though, that my "not so long" patience is tried in growing 'em.  Seems those plants produce yellow blooms reeeeaaaaallllll quickly after setting 'em out.  That's good, kinda gets me excited that soon and very soon there'll be fresh tomato sandwiches for lunch.  But alas, if you know anything about growin', then you know that those "quick" yellow blooms can be deceiving if you're lookin' for "fast fruit", 'cause it will be a long long long time 'til those little bitty green things grow and grow and grow and then finally turn sorta whitish and thennnnnnnnn a tinge of pink, leading finally to RED.  I have to admit I pull some as they're just beginning to turn and bring 'em in the house, seems they ripen a little quicker inside, off the vine. Don't know why I can't remember and keep in mind that it's gonna take this long t...

I just had my 67th birthday...oh wow, I admit that was hard to say!! 67 years I've lived on this earth? I remember when I used to think it was kinda silly to talk "age" at all....especially in looking back over our lives...our years past. Mama used to say, even up to her 94th birthday before going to Heaven, that she didn't understand why people talked so much about being "old" :). I haven't "talked" age all that much during these past 67 years, admittedly more the past "few" :). But I find myself looking back, then looking forward, then thinking..."more behind than before....now what in those "past years" am I gonna use for my "before me years"? Hopefully, I will have learned some lessons that will make my next ???? years be even more fulfilling than the past "few". I wrote it in a song several years ago...it applies here, I think....."after all these years, Your love is still the same...