A Quintessential Fall Day in New England

The reservoir from Beaver Spit

The sky was beautifully blue, and the leaves were crisply marching as the wind briskly shooed us along. The Bernard family was visiting, and I asked Dean to help me get some of the apples in from the tree. We had a HUGE year in terms of apples; all the apple trees were ridiculously fruitful especially compared to last year when I don't think we got even a dozen apples.

As Dean and I started picking I mentioned that we hadn't had any pumpkins though we do have a large and very vigorous pumpkin vine that has taken over a rowdy, unkempt corner of the garden under the apple tree next to the compost pile, essentially colonizing it. The pumpkin is next to the rhubarb which I never harvest so it is very wild; last spring Dean brought over a morning glory that has taken over his front porch and put it out there as well, and Raj put in a couple of rogue cherry tomatoes hardened by life enough to hang with the other delinquents.


I went back up to the house and into the coal room in search of an apple bucket. When I returned, Dean pointed out that there actually IS a pumpkin growing out there, but it was hidden by the elephantine leaves and still green, very much in disguise. We poked around a little more and found a couple others; they appeared very suddenly, I've been going out every couple of days checking for pumpkins and admiring the purple-throated morning glories and haven't seen a thing.

A little later after Kristen made enchiladas to put in the oven for lunch and Dean decided to make apple pie, Kristen, Astha, and I went for a ramble through the woods to Beaver Spit down at the reservoir. Raj stayed behind to help Dean make pie and we set off. It was unspeakably gorgeous.

The Lodge on Beaver Spit

Kristen and Astha at the end of Beaver Spit

After our return to The Fahm to the smell of hot enchiladas and apple pie, Raj informed me that upon further searching, he and Dean located a total of 8 pumpkins in varying stages of  growth and greenness! In the course of one day, I went from having nothing to suddenly having a BUMPER crop of pumpkins! Very unexpected. Until one remembers where one lives, that is, where the unexpected is just the tip of the iceberg.