On April 18th I was singing the praises of the cherry tomato, with three little would-be tomatoes, tiny and green. Today is the first fruits day: those three tomatoes are now red and ripe and ready to join lettuce, pea pods and chicken in a chinese chicken salad.

Everything in southern California seems to be moving up in the yearly schedule. Years ago, tomatoes didn't ripen until July; yet here it is, the first week of June, and little red orbs hang from dark green leaved plants.

The weather has gotten hot unusually early, too. It's 90 today, was in the high 80's all week, and dry, dry, dry. The nose knows.

It's hot enough that the tomatoes have stopped setting fruit. When it gets hot during the day and doesn't really cool off at night, the flowers just fall off the plant, useless. The only tomatoes we'll have this year will be the ones already set and growing.

It's weird to have summer start so early. The only truly happy plants are the cacti by the side of the house and the oriental lilies in the planter along the fence.