Saturday, October 6, 2012

Giving Thanks

Scary spooky wonderfully scented black velvet nights!  

Bright ripe orange pumpkins are glowing on porches across Nova Scotia; Howard Dill's legacy thrives around here. He was the man made famous when he developed "Dill's Atlantic Giant" pumpkin which kind of made us all a bit famous in Nova Scotia to growers around the world. Do you know they race pumpkins on Lake Pisiquid in Windsor, Nova Scotia next week (Windsor is where Howard Dill developed the giant pumpkin)? Yup.. they hollow them out and race them, this year on October 14th! Check it out.

Meanwhile I shiver in fear of that first killer frost. It will surely come but so far amazingly, not even a light frost to taint the garden. Leaves on trees along the highways are turning their beautiful autumn shades, and closer to home, bean leaves are showing more purple, rhodos red and viburnum rusty orange. The garden is a damp and glorious thing.
There are other maturing changes in the garden. Satomi dogwood trees are fruiting large red berries which almost immediately disappear, robbed by squirrels. So, I decided to hang a small wind chime in the tree closest to the house and when it tinkles, I rush outdoors like someone possessed, clapping my hands..shoo shoo! I so want to enjoy the view of those luscious red berries standing up on their strong stems for a few more weeks. Fighting a loosing battle I expect. Everywhere critters are laying in winter groceries.
The garden is in her autumn finery, witchy colors of purple and black, deep browns, sienna, gold and burgundy. In contrast, the Cochicums are flouncing spring crocus color through the dying spent perennials and it looks odd, yet comforting. It says to me, spring is just steps away...take heart.
Earth may be in her autumn moistness but, there is rebirth too...seeds being disbursed, planted now. Following mother nature's cue, it's a good time to scatter poppy seeds, nicotiana, verbena bonariensis and morning glory. We have had all of these in the garden for a long time thankfully, growing from the seeds that fell from the mother plants the year before.
Which brings me to my thoughts about being thankful. It is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, a time of vegetable garden abundance, sharing with friends and family and taking time to make a mental list of all we are thankful for. I have been thinking about how my garden blog has enriched my life and thinking also about folks I have 'met' along the way via the internet. Like good compost, the dialogue builds, layer after layer and before you know it, friendship grows. One person I connected with, through his blog writing is Mark Charlton. He has a special, honest and sincere writing gift, and his first publication touched me dearly.
Counting Steps.....it is what life is all about isn't it, journeys through life, landscape, friendship, motherhood, fatherhood. Going forward, step by step, to dream, to remember, to mature, and for me, being able to garden another year and be thankful I can.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, with a special thank you to Mark and his beautiful and inspiring gift..."Counting Steps". (Available via his blog or Amazon)


30 comments:

  1. Happy Thanksgiving to you! Ours is next month. You live in a beautiful place; I was just watching some online films of Nova Scotia and thought how nice it is. My nephew's wife is from there. Much to be thankful for!

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    1. Thank you Nutmeg for your good wishes and kind comment. Maybe you will get to visit here before long.

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  2. Thank you Nutmeg. Come up to Nova Scotia for a visit!! Glad to hear you have a family connection.

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  3. Happy Thanksgiving Bren. When you mentioned pumpkin races I had a mental image of pumpkins sprouting little legs and arms and running like mad across an icy lake!

    I want to try and get my verbena bonariensis to reproduce this year but so far it has flowers and no seeds to collect!

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    1. Thank you Sue. You made me chuckle imagining pumpkins sprouting little legs! No, thy clean them out and someone climbs inside and paddles them across the lake, which isn't too cold just yet, but not warm! Some are all painted up, costumes often worn by the rowers and I think this year, an Olympic Rowing Champion might be in attendance. Also, Windsor is the home of Ryan Cochrane who was a Kayak Olympian this year and trained on this very lake as a boy.

      Good luck with verbena bonariensis..it germinates a little late in spring, so if you have it in the garden now, try not to disturb or weed around there too early in the season.The seeds are very small, invisible almost.

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  4. If I were a squirrel I would be making a beeline for those delicious looking Satomi Berries, yum! We tried to grew a Dills Giant pumpkin many years ago, we didn't manage a giant but certainly a very big one:)

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    1. Thank you Paul for your comment. I haven't been able to grow a giant pumpkin myself, but we have always enjoyed a visit to their farm...quite an experience, especially when Mr. Dill was alive. He loved to see folks arrive....there were orange pumpkins everywhere same as it is now. The color was exciting enough and the farm visits hold precious memories for thousands.

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  5. Happy Thanksgiving to you. I hope your weekend is full of many thankful moments.

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  6. Happy Thanksgiving Brenda! I've been working away in the vegetable garden and completely forgot to scatter my poppy seed. Will get out there today yet, thanks for the reminder. No frost here either but it can't be far off, every morning is cold and covered in thick dew. Spent yesterday picking beans, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, carrots (get it out before it freezes!)... stir fry for thanksgiving this year.

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    1. You have had a very productive year Marguerite!!

      Frost is inevitable, I know, and I am almost tired of gardening...not totally, but getting there. Still goodies to gather though, like you, beans..which were good producers this year heh!

      Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well.

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  7. It is with a little sadness that we wait the first frost here too. Any day now I feel. I love the link to the Dills farm pumpkin regatta!!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the link. Looks like they will have a sunny day for the race.

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  8. Loved the link with the pumpkins. Beautiful. I never would have thought of turning a pumpkin into a boat and racing it.lol

    Your first picture is perfect for October and Halloween.

    You asked about the white baptisia -- those are alba. I've always had one in our garden since we got our farm 16 years ago. I love the combination of alba, australis and 'Purple Smoke'.

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    1. Glad you liked the link Sweetbay and thank you, for your comment on the photo, and info about alba baptisia. I have not seen the white up here. Your garden is still so lush!

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  9. Hi,visiting your blog from suka suka blog..nice and beautiful blog..i follow your blog :)

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    1. Thank you Yana, for hopping over from suka suka to visit my garden blog. Thank you also for your kind comment.

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  10. Happy Thanksgiving..... happy living within the kingdom of flora and fauna. With plants it's not always about harvest, having colourful setting is just as wonderful.

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    1. Thank you for commenting and for your good wishes. I am thankful for harvest and for garden's beauty, that is for sure.

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  11. Hi Bren, Belated Happy Thanksgiving. Hubby has been off this week and I am behind in everything. Got the little bean slicer. Will email my thanks. I remember reading about Howard Dill in the newspaper years ago. He got to be quite famous.
    I really like the berries on that particular variety of dogwood. No wonder you do not want them to disappear to quickly! Thanks for the reminder to sew some annual seeds like poppies. Must find I spare moment to do this as well. Lovely writing in this post by the way. I am off the visit Marc's blog.

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    1. Great to receive your comments, and your kind wishes. Thank you. Glad Canada Post did it's job!

      Blush re the compliment on the writing ;-) .

      They are paddle racing the giant pumpkins today! exciting.

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  12. I'm late to this, but I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. We have only begun to have fall weather in the last two days. Welcome rain is falling as I write, and I can just about hear the earth sighing.

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    1. Thanks for your Happy thanksgiving wishes Pondside. Looks like you had some celebrations happening on your coast as well. Happy Anniversary.

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  13. Your description is so evocative.... I could imagine I was in Nova Scotia.

    The white Nicotiana is beautiful... so are those Satomi berries.

    I suppose things have moved on dramatically since this post.... Very belated happy Thanksgiving to you.

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  14. Thanks for your belated Thanksgiving wishes and your kind words Gardening Shoe.

    Yes, those are Satomi berries and every last one of them are gone now!! A few left on the Cherokee Dogwood but that's it. Viburnum berries, also stripped clean. Well at least we have well fed critters around here...birds, squirrels and chipmunks ;-)

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  15. I'm giggling that you have your copy of 'Counting Steps' already and I've yet to get mine and I only live a mile or so from Mark. It's my fault, not his - I'm looking forward to having a good read :)

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    1. It is an excellent read VP. Thanks for commenting.

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  16. With Katie being sick, I am really behind on reading blogs. I love your picture of the moon! It does look pretty spooky!!! I checked out the pumpkin race ... ah .. I love it ... looks like great fun and lots of laughs! Pumpkins are a favorite of mine, so I enjoyed seeing all the pumpkin pictures on that site! Did you go to that event??

    Michele

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    1. So sorry to read Katie is unwell. Hopefully she will improve soon.

      Am pleased you liked the links...pumpkins are a favorite of mine also. Sadly I missed the event but it was well attended and always is.

      Thanks for commenting Michele.

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  17. Thanks for the well wishes for Katie ... she is doing better now. Fun to know that Pumpkins are a favorite of yours too. I just LOVE their bright shiny orange skins ... they are such a happy color. I'm bummed you missed the event ... I thought for sure you would have pictures of you two paddling your great pumpkin!! hee hee!! ; )

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