A little different blog today

As many of you that read this blog know Tom and I first met on the internet - a Nascar racing forum to be exact. Later we were drawn together again by visiting the online caringbridge community while Glenn was going through cancer and we developed our friendship from that experience. Well we both still post at the racing forum and there are several neat stories that get posted there and not in the blog. Tom will probably get me for this but I have taken the liberty to lift a couple of the recent stories and am going to post them here. Everyday he amazes me with his gift for the written word and the way he expresses the simple things in life - the things that make our life so very special.. Not many men would go into a marriage with a MIL already living in the house. He not only did that but has taken Mom into his heart and life - there is nothing he won't do for her. These two stories are just an example. On the racing forum we go by the names Solak (Tom) and Mrs Solak (me)

First story as posted on the forum which was written after a Nascar race in which two of the top drivers were caught cheating and there had been much discussion on the forum as to what penalties shoud be assesed ......

In the annual struggle for Solak to have a ripened, sweet, juicy, dripping sliced tomato sandwich before the 4th of July, Mrs MOMSolak, aka MOM, was caught last week with 2 servings of fried green tomatos. That's right... TWO seperate servings!
Thursday, while returning home from a short outing, Mrs. MOMSolak noticed 3 potted tomato plants alongside the garage, extra plants that didn't have a home in the vegetable garden. She saw some small ping-pong ball size tomatos on the plants and commented to MrsSolak; "It looks like it's almost time for some Fried Green Tomatos. "
Well, MrsSolak, kind soul, and loving daughter that she is, innocently replied back to MOMSolak, saying; "Well, Solak has some much larger ones down in his vegetable garden."
Now, I'm not saying that the rather large tomatos MrsSolak picked for MOM, at MOM's request, that were subsequently battered and fried for MOM, 2 nights in a row, would have possibly been the first ones to ripen before July 4th, but given the evidence witnessed firsthand, I can only wonder.
When July 4th arrives, and there's several tomatos ALMOST ready to pick, did the blatant theft/picking of these 2 tomatos play a factor in not having a fresh tomato sandwich on or before July 4, 2007? Could they have been the bright red, juicy ones I've anticipated for months since I planted the seeds back in March?
Was MrsSolak, at MOMSolak's request, working within a gray area of the produce rules, picking tomatos before ripened, using the excuse "Well, they were there."?
Is MOMSolak responsible for recalling her days of old when she grew her own vegetables and didn't give a second thought about slicing and frying her own green tomatos?
What should the penalties be for these women invading Solak's vegetable garden, and possibly picking THE tomato, that one glorious tomato, that in another few days, could have satisified Solak's year-long wait for his very first soggy, dripping, juicy tomato sandwich of 2007?

Second story posted a couple days later......

Y'all know that MOM, even though she's stealing MY tomatos, also has her own personal upside-down tomato planter thingy with her own personal tomato plant growing in it. Well, the hanging basket thingy is designed to water it from the top. The instructions say to fill it with dirt to within 3" ot the top, so I did as instructed in 14 different languages.
Well, Saturday and yesterday, Mr.& Mrs. Wren decided that that little 3" deep sheltered area was a perfect place to build a nest, and had commenced construction, with pine straw, twigs, and moss.
However, If I allowed this, it would be difficult to water MOM's tomato plant from the top, since the water would have to pour through the nest, and eventual baby birds.
After much agonizing, and a highly emotional consultation with MrsSolak, it was decided to terminate the construction of the nest in that location, and the watering opening has now been covered in a manner that will still allow watering, but prevent the Wren Family from resuming their project.
The Wrens, while unhappy, were told of numerous other places they could build on the property, locations that have less stringent building codes, and more than likely much better easements and right-of-ways.

I hope this brings a smile to your heart and soul - I know it did mine. I will be back later with more happenings here at the Heartland but until then - look around at what God has given us - this free land we live in and be thankful for all that we have.

Lynne ~~he who plants a seed - believes in tomorrow~~