Snowy Speculations

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If I could paint, I would have tried to replicate the landscape very early this morning. Illuminated by the faintest hints of light and hours before sunrise, the cold, stark landscape lay completely still in its snowy blanket. Naked trees stood proudly and quietly against this backdrop, this palate of pure white an unforgiving place for any creature, big or small, to attempt to cross without drawing attention to its existence at this time. Even our ancient tire swing looked sleepy and droopy, suspended precariously close to the ground, as if the effort of hanging from a tree limb was too much for it. To the east, the only rays of light visible were the ones coming from the across the river, and even those seem hushed and muffled, like a child tired and murmuring not to wake them up just yet.  The young families down the road have gone all out with Christmas lights this year. Bright colours adorn the night skies and my neighbours even have a Christmas Cat and a Christmas Dinosaur that i
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Pumpkin Patch Passion

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Everyone has a nurturing side. We parent. We have pets that need our care and attention. And we plant things and watch them grow. There is a deep satisfaction in creating and watching and that is what I get from my little pumpkin patch.

Last year I wrote about the gourds that my son, Markus, unintentionally planted in the middle of the yard. I harvested hundreds of gourds of all shapes and sizes last fall. But this year my pumpkin patch was deliberate.  Last fall, I purchased a Jarrahdale pumpkin and a Cinderella pumpkin and harvested the seeds for my own use this year. They were $10 each at one of the roadside stands here in Niagara-on-the-Lake which offer so many different varieties of pumpkins, squashes (yes, that is the correct plural form of squash) and gourds. The Jarrahdale has a thick, bluish, grey skin and originated in Australia. Like Heirloom tomatoes that have been described as the ugliest tomatoes because of their irregular appearance, the Jarrahdale is also considered an Heirloom variety. It's not pretty, but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder! Once roasted, Jarrahdales have the sweetest flesh that is perfect for soups and baking. A superior taste by far!

I was thrilled that several Jarrahdales and Cinderella pumpkins have made their appearance! But I have a problem. Several times a day, I go out and check on them, to make sure they are "all right" and that no harm has come to them. I move them slightly so that they don't rot in one spot. I brush off bits of grass that have stuck to them after the lawn is mowed. A bit obsessive? Maybe. But I feel some element of motherly pride observing their shiny, round (and not so round) bodies growing along the runner vines amidst the green grass.

We did have one fatality though, which brought me some level of grief. Markus mowed the lawn with the lawn tractor and must not have seen one of the runners that had snaked its way through the grass. I found bits of yellow shell shattered on the grass on my regular patch check-ups. It was a sad moment indeed!

I did plant some of the gourds that I saved seeds from last year. They too have snaked their way through the garden and wound their way up my Russian Giant sunflowers. They look like little colourful balls hanging off the sturdy stems, now more visible with the drying vines of late summer. 

Gardening is good for the soul. No experience is needed. Getting your hands dirty and having something to look after is good for humans of every age. My 87-year-old father grows the best things in his garden and I think my siblings and I have gotten some of our joy of planting from him. He is constantly outside puttering, despite the heat. His mother also grew some of the best cucumbers around. 

Well, it's been an hour. I think I have to go check on my pumpkins...

Lolita Schimann Hale

                



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