Two dazzling things happened yesterday, dear reader!
As you know (or not), I’ve been in the throes of downsizing. I moved into this smaller house about a year and a half ago, and that makes this my second gardening season here. If you are a gardener, you know that you have to earn ownership of a garden; it doesn’t just happen. Nor does it “just happen” that a house becomes home. For me, it’s all a work in progress: this isn’t home yet either inside or out.
However, there were these two heart-stoppers yesterday:
I caught a glimpse of new color deep in a tomato plant. I was down on the ground as fast as my creaking knees would allow and, yes, there it was: the first red tomato! MY tomato! If you have read my blog in the past, you know that until recently my main claim to gardening fame was in consistent tomato-killing. I grew them in memory of my Grandpa Mauck but without much hope of eating actual tomatoes.
(Last year was The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, if you recall. The tomatoes had their revenge.)
And tuxedos in the dill! In my last house I had a magnificent dill patch and these very formal, elegant caterpillars feasted royally thereon. Swallowtails bobbed their thanks over what was left. This year the blasted rabbits ate to the ground every single dill plant I tried to grow, so I planted dill in a pot on the deck. Now come the beautiful caterpillars. Can swallowtails be far behind?
I dance a rheumatic jig and think that maybe home will happen.
Oddments 
July 13, 2019 at 4:44 pm
Home is homing in on you! My sweetheart would give a spirited ‘woo hoo!’ to greet your tomato, but of course I am far too English for that.
July 13, 2019 at 4:52 pm
Of course a WOO HOO would be unseemly for you, but it is ever so eloquent! “Home is homing in” is equally eloquent but a lot more groan-worthy.
July 13, 2019 at 5:01 pm
(smiles modestly)
July 13, 2019 at 5:02 pm
(holding sides)
July 13, 2019 at 4:54 pm
A very good day indeed! Congratulations!
July 13, 2019 at 4:58 pm
Thank you!
July 13, 2019 at 6:36 pm
Can you see it? I’m doing a happy dance up here in NH for your gardening accomplishments! And, even though there are no Marines in the family, I still feel like staying OORAH, Maureen. I love the header shot too. 🙂 I have four tomato plants. Two have no blossoms, the third has a couple blossoms, and the fourth has some nice green ones. 🙂
July 13, 2019 at 7:49 pm
Yes! Of course I can see your happy dance! Thank you for rejoicing with me! OORAH indeed — and I think it’s permitted because my Aunt Jean was a Marine in World War II. Glad you like the header shot; there is nothing about dill that isn’t beautiful to me, and, even though the dill in this container is puny compared to my old dill patch, it is still uplifting.
Two tomato plants without blossoms? I hope they pop out soon! Thank goodness at least one plant is taking its job seriously. But then they could all surprise you with a truckload. I will await tomato updates from NH.