At long last, today we planted potatoes. Feeling victorious, my beloved and I shook hands afterwards. Tired and sweaty, we grinned at each other like kids. Four long rows, ten holes per row. In each hole we put three potatoes. All together, that adds up to one-hundred and twenty potatoes, or about seven kilograms of the stuff. For the purpose, we had a handsome burlap bag of seed potatoes weighing ten kilos. White and plump, they come from Holland, one of the major producers of vegetable seeds in the world. But the brand name of the potatoes only added to our glee: Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa! Leonardo da Vinci, eat your heart out.

Addendum I (April 19, 2008)

After a five weeks’ pause, we are back at planting in the garden. Today we planted four rows of carrots. Tired and sweaty, we grinned at each other once again. The only disappointments are the brand names of the carrots: Nantes and Chantenay. Big deal! In two weeks we plan to plant tomatoes, and we are sure to pay attention to the brand name we select for the garden.

Addendum II (May 3, 2008)

Yesterday we planted three rows of tomatoes. Their brand name? Monte Carlo, no less! When it comes to gardening, there is no kidding with us. Brand names are our forte.