SOUTH SIDE: As this is being written, the weather is breaking –
finally. It got above freezing today so we’re in a good enough mood
where we can pass along these friendly gibes from our southern
friends.

Robert Cosper wrote the other day, and included a photo of a
tomato plant growing near his home in La Belle, Fla. Let us assure
you, it’s a giant – even for Florida.

He writes, “Julie and I live over in Colevilleðon Route 46 and
have the little produce stand during the summer. We are down here
in La Belle for the winter and I planted this beefsteak tomato
plant from Wal-Mart when we got here in November. It is 8’2″ tall
and has several green tomatoes on it. No ripe ones yet.”

“Just thought your readers might like a little spring cheer
during all the cold weather.”

In a side note, Robert reports lots of robins in La Belle are
getting ready to head north “and gas is $2.24 per gallon.”

He adds, “We enjoy reading your column every day and look
forward to getting up there and digging some leeks in the
spring.”

Frank Milks also sends along an e-mail from his home in North
Carolina: “Just wanted to share some thoughts I had about back
home. The other day my water line froze and I was quite upset,
nothing serious but annoying.”

“Later as I checked the weather back home (Bradford) your low
was -4 and the high was 4. All of a sudden Ocracoke Island was not
so cold. My prayers are with you.”

Pat Timblin writes from Delaware: “No snow, no ice and lots of
sunshine but the temp is 30 degrees. Come on down.”

We also heard from our anonymous Florida correspondent recently.
She writes, “Spring is just around the corner. Maybe not for y’all,
but I saw my first daffodil yesterday on my way in to work. That
means spring for me!”

She also send a photo of her azalea bush, and added, “And,ðalso,
belowðis a picture of my husband taken today with this Nascar car
he saw at lunchtime. Note the blue sky and his work outfit …
shorts. After all, it is February, isn’t it?”

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Cable news … is increasingly a medium of
outsize, super-opinionated franchise personalities,” said New
Yorker columnist Nicholas Lemann in 2006.