I’m saying goodbye to some wonderful friends this weekend; they’ve listened to me  when I’ve needed to get something off my chest, while simultaneously giving me moments of pure joy.

Those friends are my tomato plants. They have been troopers this year; I’ve grown them in containers, yet they are taller than my chest.

Typically, they don’t set fruit this late,  but this season, they have, due to a strange August, cool snap here in the Ozarks.   I just went outside to prune the “suckers” from the new tomatoes; they need all the help they can get.

Yet, I know despite this late summer rally, the end is near for the friends I’ve cultivated through the summer.

I know they are tiring of the heat; they’ve worked hard ( I have more than two dozen beginning to ripen).  So, I’m holding their dear old hands, and thanking them for the pleasure I’ve taken in their company.