the tomatoes are growing

although they are not quite ready for picking, i was excited to see tomatoes on the plants today. i also noticed a pretty hearty crop of aphids, which we had problems with last year as well. i think i will use some insecticidal soap to get rid of them. it makes me long for all those ladybugs that died by the thousands in our house over the winter. if only i had thought to stick them in the freezer so that they could be thawed out when the demand for their services was high. an adult ladybug can eat up to 5000 aphids in its lifetime. oh ladybug, why did you have to turn into a crispy husk on my windowsill? why?