Orange Sky At Night, Tomatoes Take Fright

/ Ally Bean

A SHORT STORY

One day the Lady of the House carefully planted a few pots of herbs + one pot of small patio tomatoes.  There was joy in the land.

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The sky was blue above, forsooth.

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Cardinals, sitting in trees, shooketh their tail feathers.

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Cute garden tags proclaimed what was in each herb pot.

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However, one evening a magical thunderstorm rolled through the land turning the sky to a weird shade of orange, creating a beautiful unexpected rainbow.  Things had changed.

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At first, the Lady of the House was charmed by the rainbow, until she saw that the storm winds had snapped her tomato plant in two.  She was sad.

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But the Lady of the House, being ever hopeful and raised on fairy tales, put the little green tomatoes in a dish on the kitchen table near a sunny window.

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Where, alas & alack, despite the Lady of the House’s tender care, the little tomatoes remain green and inedible to this day.

THE END

80 thoughts on “Orange Sky At Night, Tomatoes Take Fright”

    • Zen-Den, no, the store-bought ones, while pretty, never taste the same. However, considering the situation, I will enjoy Kroger’s bounty, grateful to have any tomato at all.

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  4. I hope you didn’t chuck that tomato plant! If you had stuck it in a jar of water, it would have rooted, and you could have put it in the pot again (this time, tied to a sturdy little stake). Then…red, ripe tomatoes all summer!

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    • nance, I’ve left the remains of the plant in the pot because the roots seem sound. I’ll add water daily, so maybe the little tomato plant will start to grow again? And we’ll have tomatoes by late August. *fingers crossed*

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  7. We did the same thing with our tomatoes last year and they did turn orange, eventually. But by then they had become part of the clutter scenery and no one ate them and they turned to mush. Oh well. Cool picture of rainbow though.

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    • Tamara, I fear that’s exactly what’s going to happen with this little dish: it’ll “become part of the clutter scenery.” But who knows, maybe we’ll eat them. 🙂

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        • Allie P., if I get even one tomato off the remains of this plant, I’ll call it a victory. I’m impressed that you got a blueberry, never been brave enough to try to grow fruit.

          Thanks for tagging me with happiness. I could use some this week. I probably won’t play along because I decided to stop doing blogging memes this year, but I’m thrilled that you thought of me. I adore what you write, so the laughter is mutual. We’re really the best allies, aren’t we? 😉

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          • No worries. I rarely do them too, but thought a little extra happiness out there was worth it.

            I’ve had this blueberry bush (and I use the term loosely as it is more of a glorified stuck in the mud) for 4 years now and this is the first time I managed to actually sneak a berry past the birds. It was probably poisoned or otherwise bad, so likely the joke is on me.

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    • Janet, glad you liked the photos. [So do I.] It’s just I was looking forward to fresh tomatoes, as one does when one makes the effort to grow them. But now…

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    • serena, sorry to disappoint you, but blame it on Mother Nature. I mean, there I was being a good pots-on-deck farmer when *whoosh* my little tomato plant was no more. I tell ‘ya…

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    • nancy, I thought about fried green tomatoes but realized my little rounds would be Barbie-size! Will put a banana in the brown bag with these little tomatoes now that I know to do so. I tell ‘ya, the things I’m learning today. Thanks.

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  14. I’m so sorry for your poor little tomato plant! That sky does look like an exciting storm, however. I’m don’t think I’ve seen an orange sky with rainbow. I do love a good storm.

    Perhaps you have a local nursery that sells mature tomato plants so that you don’t miss out on the tasty treats this summer.

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    • Zaz, the orange sky with rainbow was like nothing I’ve ever seen around here before. The storm itself was delightful because it washed all the pollen out of the air, so overall I enjoyed the weather event. But my tomato plant didn’t fair so well. I like your idea of looking around for a mature plant. Will do that. Thanks.

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  17. Those poor little maters look like grapes. Perhaps a prank is in order?
    I attempted veggies this year, but our puppy keeps yanking nearly ripe cucumber off and romping in our yard with the plant behind her. I forgot about my tomatoes, a variety that grows like ivy…and they’re nearly 7 ft long! Never seen anything like it!
    Beautiful rainbow photo btw. Turned out wonderful!

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    • bitsfromheaven, I’ve never tried cucs, but usually can get some decent tomatoes. I like your idea of a prank. *bwha-ha-ha* The rainbow was like none I’ve ever seen before in real life. So orange.

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    • Stephanie, I enjoy goofing around and growing herbs, veggies, flowers, but it’s never a given that my efforts will be rewarded. Although usually it’s the pesky squirrels, not thunderstorms, that do in my projects. This is a new one for me.

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  25. Cool kids probably also get to a post in time to leave a comment, don’t they? Ah well. I’ve always known I was destined for uncoolness…

    And (as I was *gonna* say on your “what sin, if not sloth??” post), I am a firm believer in:

    View post on imgur.com

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  27. “Cardinals, sitting in trees, shooketh their tail feathers.” That’s hilarious.
    But good point: how did those delicate tomato plants survive in the wild?
    Cheers and sparkles for the 4th (OK late, but great parties just keep going on and on…)

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  28. Pingback: The Happiness Tag – Allie Potts Writes

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