Tomatoes

Now I know why my mother always canned late at night.
The demands of the day didn't allow it.
The baby needs changed and nursed and changed again.
The children need tending.
There are meals to be made, dishes to be done and errands that don't run themselves.
A Husband who may or may not be home at a resonable hour to lend helping hands.
The laundry pile grows and grows and
The phone rings again and again.
The baby need attention again and the dishes washed up once more.
The jars must be found and cleaned,
Counter space prepared and things in order.
And the heat! Nothing is ever ready to be put up in the middle of winter when your house needs heating up.
I wondered today how my grandmother and her mother's did it,
For whom preserving the summer garden was an absolute necessity.
Tomatoes wait for no woman.
Today I miss my mother and grandmothers deeply.
Canning is a multi-generational sport.