June 9, 2011

i heart a little friendly competition

We pride ourselves on how well we do in our gardens with our vegetables. One day years ago when we first moved south I was sitting on the back porch in a t-shirt and my undies reading a book when I saw this stranger walking up and down the rows of my garden. He was an elderly gentleman who later introduced himself as Mr Edmunds. He proceeded to  inspect our garden and frankly he was in awe as an elderly southerner that city folks like my husband and I could grow anything with such skill. A bit of a stereotype but he was so cute that we let it slide.

We became friends with him and his entire family, particularly with his grandson and his wife and their sons.  My son and his great-grandson's became and still  are the greatest of friends. Two are actually roommates and my son was in the others wedding party just a months ago. Twenty five years of friendships based on a single encounter in my underwear in the garden with Granddad.

His grandson tells the story that Granddad went home and made a series of phone calls to other men 'southern men' in the area and this is what he told them. " Fella's plow under your gardens the new neighbors down the road will put you all to shame; and their Yankee's dang it."

Which brings me to my cousins in Charlotte, the ones who love tomato's. It seems that they have decided to get a teensie bit shall we say competitive with us regarding whose tomato's are taller and better. My husband sent them a picture of himself standing in our garden,  just click here-  bill in the garden.

Then low and behold we received this picture in return, it's of Hans in his tomato garden. Those tomato's look mighty tall to me! I don't know though....Hans is a bit shorter than Bill then it dawned on me maybe he's standing on his toes, or on a stool,  oh I know, I know he's on my cousin Jeanmaries shoulders!! *giggle giggle*  Thoughts anyone?

Hans growing his city tomato's


8 comments:

  1. I'd have to lay down to make mine look that tall :(

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  2. Does this family have green thumbs or good soil my lips are sealed :)

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  3. I got a laugh out of the idea that he was standing on my shoulders. Over my dead body....and I probably would be dead if he attempted that between his weight & my body aches. LOL

    I did hear an interesting comment about tall tomato plants from Judy. She said that last year they didn't have a successful crop because the plants got too tall & only produced leaves. Now I'm worrying about that. Hans will be devastated if that happens. We are actually already eating tomatoes, one regular and many grape. I eat them right off the vine before Hans gets them. Isn't that so selfish?

    I also found that somebody took a bite out of one of my tomatoes. It's either a squirrel, rabbit or chipmunk because I don't think a cat would do that.

    Love,
    Jeanmarie

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  4. I am so jealous. I can't grow anything. My tomato plants are currently 2 inches tall.

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  5. Jessica,
    Good soil grows good plants it also grows good weeds, we do that pretty well too :)

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  6. How funny! He does kind of look like he is on his toes!

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  7. WWB, Yup he is doing a bit of the standing on his toes and reaching for the sky like we used to do in gym class to stretch right? I thought so too!!

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