Fall Traditions and Celebrations

 

Hi, welcome! As you may know I am not one to celebrate seasonal changes ahead of time---no flags and fireworks at Christmas, no pumpkins the day after 4th of July--and heaven forbid, Back to School in June before finals and proms are even finished. Instead I love celebrating the seasons as they occur, I savor the anticipation, the rotation of the year, the familiar joys returning. 

And October/ Fall/ Halloween are small but important pleasures to me. I adore pumpkin patches, mums, candy corn and Indian corn, red maple leaves, acorns, and busy squirrels. I love the day off for Columbus Day, a day that always marks the REAL start of autumn for me. 

Even as a young career woman who worked a high pressure job in NYC, my dad would always manage a business trip to visit me, and off we'd go to Vermont or Pennsylvania to choose a pumpkin. Later trips with kids, maybe the town's parade and pumpkin pick, or to the big nursery where my son would get to choose the biggest pumpkin he could find. [Excuse me,  sir, do you have a forklift to put this pumpkin in our Jeep? I'd think.]

So here again, mid-October and off to the Pumpkin Patch we go. C'mon.

The farmhouse nursery shop:

Spooky!

And cute!

Mums galore. The shrub sized tricolor mums are 49.99 this year.

Pumpkins  everywhere, every size!

I always want the pink stripey kind. $40.oo this year.

I remember when white pumpkins began showing up in magazine but were not available to buy. I had to buy faux to get the look.

Squashes and gourds, the colors aglow.

More mumms.

Pansies and asters. Growers have really gotten the blue flower thing down, haven't they.

I loved these colorful tiny peppers.

And this is new, perfectly pumpkin colored orange giant marigolds for your fall flower bed.

We always enjoy the miniature fairy gardens display, all spooky and fun for Halloween.

And sweet gifts.

And this year the ''petting zoo'' has returned. The goats are not impressed. I didn't go close because like Mo then they'd expect a snack. But they're so cute, in a bored to pieces kind of way.

***********************

Back home, I set out my small russet mum, $6.99 and tiny 2 dollar pumpkin. That's good enough for me and my budget. I did buy bulbs for next winter. Not these Tete a Tete daffs, easier to buy pre-grown at the grocery store. 

Instead I got lovely blue hyacinths, inspired by the ones blog friend Penny has grown in her vintage Dansk vases just like my mom used. HERE

Then I made a fall tart, puff pastry, goat cheese, butternut squash and tiny tomatoes from my friends' garden. Tasty buy a smidge too rich.

Early October nature scribbles page:

I hope you can enjoy the days before winter's darkness! The full moon last week ,with Jupiter by her side, was exceptional.

love

lizzy

gone to the  beach...

I love this photo, the orange punks, the turquoise wagon---and I'll love it even more when I photoshop out the stupid price tags. What the heck?!