The wild blueberries are starting to bud, but there's one blooming in my yard.
Despite the cold and the freezing we had, nature responds to rain and sunshine and I found myself singing "April Showers" and dancing in the rain with the dogs (don't tell anyone), the other day.

Several years ago before my friend down the street became ill, we grew a huge garden on her property. We began on St. Patrick's day - planted seeds and seedlings and fertilized and hoed and rototilled and watered and were rewarded grandly. We stored our new potatoes under her mobile home and they lasted almost a year. Redskins. A big thing here in the south. Even the little tiny ones, so good.

And we had tomatoes! Did we have tomatoes!

My Dad loved his vegetable garden. He even won a trophy from the NY Housing Authority and met the Mayor for the best vegetable garden in senior housing. He'd gather a 5 gallon bucket and by the time he got upstairs to my mother, the ladies in the apartment house shook him down for his tomatoes.

He was lucky if he escaped with a couple for the two of them.

If you can get them, think of my Dad, Louie, and try to find some Mannalucci (I hope I spelled that right), tomatoes and plant them this year.

Totally Tomatos used to carry them. I don't see them. But here's the catalog addy:
http://www.totallytomato.com/