I am thankful for my faithful grape tomato plant who is living proof of the wisdom of 'bloom where you're planted'.....as well as the lyric, "I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down"......

So many lessons in this one little (well not so little) plant.....first, although when I buy tomatoes anymore I almost always buy grape tomatoes....I didn't intend to have a grape tomato plant.....just didn't read the little label correctly.......then it, like most of my plants, was viciously attacked by spider mites this summer.....too much heat, too little water.......then I (again misreading a label...hum, I see a pattern here).....grabbed my 'organic spider mite spray' to spray the plants outside.....and kept thinking as I sprayed.....'it smells like someone is doing laundry in a nearby apartment, but that's odd as we don't have washers in our little cubicles......kept spraying, went inside put the spray down to read later about when I could spray again.....picked up the bottle, and (large sigh) it was "stain remover spray for the laundry", not organic mite spray.......

Finally my little plant was the only one of 4 tomato plants to give me any tomatoes this summer, and I proudly harvested about 10 grape tomatoes.....then thinking the season was done, but always reluctant to kill any plant that has any hope of living, I cut it back, almost to the dirt level......

One day I noticed it growing, then it continued, then it bloomed and I thought.....well, the little flowers are pretty, and if that's all I have, little yellow fall flowers, they provide some beauty to the patio......

But no, I underestimated my little friend.....soon I had tiny (they are grape tomatoes after all) green tomatoes.....so of course the next crisis is the first hard freeze......which brought another lesson of gratitude.....gratitude for my simple apartment with a sliding glass door, and my potted tomato........so inside it came.....we got into a little routine, freeze coming? (I'm thinking this plant needs a name.....I'm thinking his name is Fred).....so in the apartment comes Fred, warmer days ahead.....out for some sun he went......

So far I've had two fall 'harvests' from Fred....one of about 15 little tomatoes, which I ate after being inspired by Prince Charles, and before I took their photo.......

The latest, seen above.......and there were at last count over 100 little green, and turning red tomatoes being lovingly cared for by Fred......

Additionally, Fred provides joy for those who walk by and see him, conversation starters for me, and opportunities for compliments for us both.....One of the people who works for the apartments said to me the other day, your little tomato plant is so pretty......

So in these season of Light and Thanksgiving......Bloom where you're planted.......be grateful for the bounty that Nature, God, and Fred provide......

and if you get knocked down.....

come back stronger, and more productive than ever......