I've written a lot about the tomatoes recently, and it got me thinking. What are tomatoes a metaphor for? (wow, that's an awkward sentence...let's try again...) What's up with the tomatoes?
I'm thinking that tomatoes are about process, work and order. There are a lot of steps involved before one actually gets to pluck the first sun-warmed fruit and eat it right there in the garden. (I have a great photo of Daniel, probably 16 months old, with a tomato in his hand, juice dripping from his mouth and down his arm.) Waiting isn't easy, but then, one day, there it is, the first ripe fruit. (That's why to plant cherry tomatoes... smaller and ripen more quickly. I hope.)
So the process includes
(1) Deciding to plant this year (not always a given)
(2) Selecting the varieties (based on previous experience and recommendations)
(3) Finding/purchasing the plants (organic, if possible)
(4) Preparing the garden plot (pulling out the old stuff, turning the soil...should have been done months ago)
(5) Adding soil amendments (chicken poop compost is good...lighten the soil)
(6) Planting the seedlings, in the afternoon or early evening (so they don't dry out in the sun)
(7) Watering them thoroughly (and press out the air from around the roots)
(8) Staking the plants and caging them soon after
(9) Watering them again...not too often (you want the soil on top to dry out a bit and force the roots to go deeper in search of water)
(10) Pinching off some of the side shoots so that more energy goes into fruiting than leafing
(11) Hoping tomato hook worms don't ever come back (large, nasty critters)
(12) More watering and trimming and fertilizing
(13) The day arrives when the first tomato is ready to eat...so eating!!
There is logic, purpose, and effort involved. Some things can be a little less cautiously accomplished, but the order cannot be re-arranged. You can't water before they are planted, you can't buy them if you haven't yet decided to grow tomatoes this year.
Organization is something I could learn from Linda. She would often get so focused on a task that she would completely lose track of time. A drive to completion second to none! Now I need to see how much I've really taken in. It's pretty easy to apply it to tomatoes.
Another lesson from Linda: When traveling, don't keep all your cash in one place in your purse/backpack or carry-on.
