Pumpkin Time

I don't think I've been anywhere--and that includes parts of Europe and Asia--that wasn't beautiful in October.  To me, this glorious month never makes a mistake.  There's something about the lowering light, the glowing color, the crisp air .... I even wrote a poem about it once.

          The Mature Beauty of These Pumpkin-Colored Days

          In sumac shoes and scarves
          from the silk of Indian corn,

          in gowns of wildflower prints, shawls
          from challis-soft leaves of the tupelo,

          in goldenrod necklaces and rings of amethyst asters
          (her hair stuck up with scarlet pins),

          she weaves ochres, madders and siennas
          into honeyed dawns and gingered dusks,

          knowing the angels have charge over her
          and that her hour is nearly come.

And pumpkins, always the totally right color for the season, seem a jolly symbol whether they lie out in a field, are picked up, scooped out, and turned into jack-o'-lanterns (we used to spread the seeds on a newspaper to dry in the sun ... and then eat them), or are baked into a tea cake topped with an orange-flavored butter cream and a bit of candied ginger.  

A local farm, part of an apple orchard.  These outbuildings were filmed as the bunkhouse in "The Cider House Rules"

Same farm.

Outside a farm stand in another part of town.

How's that for a pumpkin!

A week ago, I found myself in the town of Keene, New Hampshire, population 23,000, just as they were getting ready for that weekend's annual pumpkin festival for which they've broken records for having the most lit jack-o'-lanterns in one place.  More pumpkins than population.  I've never been, not wanting to contend with the 70,000 on-lookers, but I did scout out their website which showed some impressive photos.  (Here's the link.)

Without crossing the busy round-about that encircled the town square, I got a couple of shots that show workers building what would become a tree-tall structure with planks to display as many jack-o'-lanterns as could fit. Others would fill the square and border the streets.

Getting ready for pumpkin time in the Keene town square.

The same square with its lit-up "Pumpkin Drop Off" sign.

What Makes October October

Attending a Sunday afternoon Bach concert
Finding that recipe for pumpkin muffins
Carving jack o' lanterns
Coming up with costumes for the little ones
Putting the garden to bed--hoses, flower pots, outdoor furniture
Getting the double-pane windows in place
In other words ... battening down the hatches