Holy tomatoes, Batman! The tomato plants I plopped into the ground at the last minute this spring/summer are finally producing a full-fledged crop.

I harvested the first "fruits of my labor" from the mini-garden last week.

A single, vine-ripened cherry tomato was hardly a bumper crop, but many green tomatoettes look promising.

This year, I planted:  two tomato plants (cherry, Beef eater), two pepper plants (red, orange), rhubarb, and some herbs (basil, cilantro, oregano, rosemary).

My neighbors probably thought the tomato plants were giant weeds, since I didn't put them in cages right away (the plants, that is, not the neighbors...)

As a toddler, I made my parents suffer on our big California vacation.

We spent the bulk of our time at Disneyland going ’round and ’round on the “It’s a Small World” boat ride.

I’m sure they were thrilled.

It all started with reading the newspaper (gasp.)

I came across an announcement by the Prior Lake Rotary Club, seeking applicants for an exchange trip to Brazil.

The brief notice asked for people who lived or worked in the area to apply for a “Group Study Exchange Program” to Brazil.

I guess I'm an old-fashioned girl. Really, really old fashioned.

I've yet again gotten swept up into the 1920s, 30s, 40s. Is it possible to be nostaligic for an era many decades before I was born?

On Saturday night, I had a blast at the Wabasha Street Caves in St. Paul during a Lions Club benefit.

The flapper/mobster theme party featured big band music, and gambling at the craps table lured me in. When I got to hold a tommy gun on the tour of the caves (which were a prohibition-era night club) I was sold.

If you've seen a Special K cereal commercial, you know the end of that lyric - "...itsy bitsy, teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini."

And, you, too, can wear one if you've been shopping lately.

Target already has stocked its shelves with spring-break gear.

Just as we sped past back-to-school with Halloween stuff, and Halloween with holiday stuff, now the sale racks have barely been moved from Christmas and we're on to spring break.

I'm not sure what happened to Valentine's Day?

I watched my first boxing match this weekend. It definitely wasn't what I planned to do on a Saturday night, but what Saturday night ever turns out as planned?

One minute, I'm a 20-something; the next, I'm being recruited by AARP.

I got my first AARP card and membership invitation last week.

It made me feel a little old. Mostly, because I'm still in my twenties.