Will They Ripen Before Frost?

I enjoyed a relatively quiet day. There are always a few house tasks and I took care of them early. I chatted with my mother about her birthday and all the wishes she received from my blip and Facebook postings. She was overwhelmed and sends her sincere thanks. I checked my tomatoes this morning. Tomorrow, I will pick the grape tomatoes. There are probably 1/2 gallon or more ready to harvest. But my remaining larger ones are not ripening yet. Sure hope we have a few warm days before the first frost. I surely miss homegrown tomatoes during the winter. My sister is successful with storing the green ones so they can ripen but I have very little success. Jamie and his family invited me to join them in taking my mother a surprise breakfast. I wasn’t prepared to go out so I declined rather than delay their visit. They ordered carryout for the whole family and my mother was quite surprised and pleased to see everyone. After some prayer time, I read my Kindle for a bit. Jamie dropped off appetizers later and asked what I thought of Lauren’s news. She called me a few days ago to say that great grand baby number three will be here in April. She told her family, my mother and my sister and BIL today. She and Jamie compete to see who can tell me news first. She beat him this time. She loves children and knows how lonely only children can be. She was an only child with her dad for her first nine years. And her mom had no other children so she was terribly lonely when she was with her mom. She brought me chili and some raw vegetables, dip and homemade cookies. We chatted about so many things for over two hours (hence the late blip.). While she was here, my sister brought the last of her tomatoes and peppers to share with my children and Lauren. I am going to care for her hibiscus plants in my basement this winter so they put them in place. Guess I will bring my plants in soon. Kristen, Chris and Chase called and invited me to go to my mother’s for dinner. They were also surprising her. From the photo Kristen sent, my mother was very appreciative of their visit. Since I didn’t go with Jamie, I thanked them for the invitation but stayed home. Renee called and said she had my dinner ready for pick up. Oh my goodness, hubby will be home before I can eat all that she sent: BBQ beef and rolls, slaw, potato salad, Mac and cheese, deviled eggs, wings, beans, chocolate cake, etc. As my sister says, I am spoiled rotten. Wishing you a wonderful caring circle when you need it. Stay safe. Thanks for dropping by. “A world without (homegrown) tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins.” - Laurie Colwin