Wednesday 08.05.2015

Hidden Away

Last night after watering the plants I decided that it was time to pull up the tomato plant.  It was still making blossoms, but I knew that realistically it would not set any more fruit.  Time to pull it up and let the pot rest until it is time to plant a fall tomato.  But the plant gave me two nice surprises before I pulled it up.

The first was the discovery of one perfectly ripe, un-bird pecked tomato.  Just perfect to pick. I pulled it and the handful of remaining green ones to put in the kitchen window to ripen.  That's when I had the second surprise - a warm memory from my past.

As I picked the tomatoes I remembered that my grandmother always wore an apron.  Always.  It came in handy for more than just keeping her clothes clean.  The pockets held odds and ends that she picked up here and there as she went about her chores.  As I stood there clutching the tomatoes I remembered how she would fold it together to gather vegetables in it as she watered the garden in the evening.  She had done the main harvesting that morning and the few things she found didn't justify going to get a basket. We would walk back to the house with her holding the corners of the apron that was full of vegetables. Just another simple thing from long ago.