Jeanette

Jeanette is a tomato. Yes, a tomato is a fruit. Look it up. In fact, tomatoes are so sweet and delicious that I actually heard a dad offer a dish of cherry tomatoes to his son and say, "here, do you want some candy?" That's how sweet Jeanette is, we can offer her up like candy! Now what kind of tomato are we talking about here? I'm not sure. I think there are times when Jeanette has been all sorts of tomatoes. The most important thing to remember is that she is most comfortable on the vine. She is more at ease, and more herself when she is surrounded by those in her family. That may be her husband and kids, her mom or dad, or her brothers or sisters. It seems like, at least when I've been around her, you get the juiciest bit of tomato when the tomato has a life line on the vine with another tomato. Silliness, laughter, jokes, and mockery are abundant, especially when the male tomatoes are around. You won't find a tomato of any sort without it's skin on. That is just unheard of, and quite honestly, it's unattractive. Right under the skin is a bit of meaty goodness that gives the tomato it's body. And finally is the gushy center. Different tomatoes have different levels of juice and seeds in them, and this is why I say that Jeanette is many sorts of tomatoes. I think I've mostly seen the cherry tomato version of her. She's not too gushy and you just take her like she is, whole and solid. There have been a few times, one that I can remember for sure, that I have seen her burst into a Roma tomato and ooze a little bit of spirit onto all of us. That was really cool, and I love to see that side of her. My understanding of her younger years is that she used to be one of those really soft and plump tomatoes that would burst at just the slightest poke of the knife. That's cool, and I can definitely see that side of her wanting to come out sometimes. Unfortunately, in the ward that we live in, tomatoes get stifled by other crazy fruits that don't know what the heck they are doing. The tomato just hangs out in the background, waiting for things to calm down, and then does what it needs to do. I don't think I appreciate the tomato enough, but I will say this, I love tomatoes in many different ways! I do eat the cherry tomatoes like candy sometimes (Costco sells a great package just for this purpose). Romas are my favorite for salads and hamburgers. Some of the larger versions are delicious if you top them with mozzarella cheese and a little oregano. And The Claim Jumper has a delicious beefsteak tomato side dish that serves like 40 people. The versatile tomato is so fabulous and is found along side all Mexican food dishes. Salsa baby! You can't do it without the tomato and I can't live without salsa.

Jeanette said (and you can actually hear her voice saying this), "Helena,You picked it just right. You are right on, when you say that I am more myself when I am around my family, they are my security/my comfort zone. I knew that I would be a fruit that had a vine of some sort. I still have my moments when I will gush out,(especially when my dad has something to do with it) I just hold back more. Thanks for doing this I love it, it turned out great." See that, a little squeeze of tomato juice just came out. And what the heck?! Something is swelling up in my eyes as well. I thought onions did that, not tomatoes!