Last night, needing an onion, I grabbed the flashlight and made my way out to the vegetable beds. As I grabbed two onions (they’re not very big) my eyes caught sight of the tomato plants, heavy with ripe fruit. I picked two but quickly realized my arms were not going to hold all that needed to be picked — and neither would my shirt, even if formed a hammock from the bottom.  So I went back in and grabbed a bowl.  Turns out, even the bowl wasn’t big enough.

But picking those nightshades at night felt “just right” — although I don’t know why.  I needed the flashlight to see how red the fruit was; I had to balance the bowl on the edge of the bed so I had both hands free to make sure each tomato was ready to be picked. The light and shadows made the plants look, at once, healthier and spookier. Yes, tomato plants in the dark can be spooky — and besides, Halloween is coming.

So here, for my umpteenth day of my 30 day promise (I really should look up to see how far along I am on this), I give you shades of my nighttime nightshade harvest: