Tempting fate every summer

I tempt fate every summer by planting tomatoes. I am definately NOT a green-thumb. In fact, I once had a friend who asked me to help her with her garden in the hopes I would kill some of her zucchini plants that ran amok. (no, I am not joking, she didn't tell me until I had accomplished her goal, and ashamedly admitted the death of her produce bearing vines. Do zucchini grow on vines? I feel my mother shaking her head sadly)

The seeds my children and I planted in the spring have failed to germinate, so I trundled off to the Walmart garden center and purchased three tomato plants about a foot high. I potted them, in Miracle Grow (or in my case - Miracle Stay Alive), and placed them in my sun room. I do this every year, dutifully starting seeds in March, despairing by May, and purchasing plants in June. Every year some tomato plants are exiled to the Russian Roulette of my care. They die or produce wildly, no in between. I either go a begging or begin pushing off extra tomatoes on the FedEx guy.

I am gazing at the plants now, they have an added threat currently - dogs. I have 2 cats and my children and husband have a dog. She is a nice dog, an Aussie Shephard who is Ever Vigilant, but I am not a dog person. They are Too Doggy. I prefer the arrogant affection of a cat. A cat doesn't get hurt feelings if you go for a car ride without them. As long as you come back to give them chow and entertain them before they sleep on your pillow, cats are cool. Dogs are Needy. They need approval and validation constantly. I said dogs though. I am caring for my sisters canines.

She has gone to see her husband's family farm. That is, the farm he grew up on back in Tennessee. His dad's family has been in those parts since before statehood as I understand it and went back to the farm after retiring from the Navy. My brother in law is on year 13 in the Navy and his folks are hoping he will follow in his dad's footsteps. They have planned a Big Push to extoll the virtues of Tennessee to my sister, correctly concluding if they convince her to move the chances rise sharply. Graceland here she comes! Dollywood, not so much.

Care of her canines were split between my mother and I. I got the weiner dogs, she got the big, water doofus. The Doofus is sweet and wants to swim in anything deeper than an centimeter. Except that I have the Doofus now. I am not thrilled. I am hoping the Doofus goes back to mom's. The Doofus wants to chase my neighbor's cows and if you learn one thing living in the country, it is: do not upset a farmer's cows - that upsets the farmer. And farmers have pitchforks and tend to congregate at the grange hall.