Vine Ripened

It was supposed to frost last night(it did), so I pulled my tomato plants up by the roots and hung them in the stairwell to the basement upside down. (This really does work. My green tomatoes will continue to ripen and I will have vine ripened tomatoes until November.)

So three giant, aromatic roma plants in all their glory, are hanging from the wall just inside the door to the basement. They nearly fill the stairwell.

Mary went to the basement last night to get her electric blanket (see the aforementioned frost) and when she opened the basement door and saw the roma plants, she screamed.

"Mom! You have to get those out of the house!" she said. "They're creepy!" she said when she came up from the basement with her electric blanket.

There is no light switch on the third floor where she sleeps. I go up every night with her and turn on her lamp. As we walked up the stairs to the attic in the dark I made *squish* *squish* *squish* noises.

"What is that?" she asked.

"The attack of the killer tomatoes!" I said.

"Mom! I'm serious! Stop it!"

I helped her put her blanket on her bed, I tucked her in, and kissed her nose.

"Call if you see a tomato vine come around the corner," I said.

"Mom! You're crazy!"

"Hey, I'm not the one afraid of tomatoes," I said.

"Just get them out of the house. Or at least move them all the way to the basement."

"Yes, I will do that," I said.

BLT, anyone?