... a wee pumpkin and other signs of hope and happiness...

They say it's better to bury your sadness in a graveyard

or garden that waits for the spring to wake from its sleep and burst into green.

~ Conor Oberst

The pumpkin patch has been growing and growing and growing. Because this is my first pumpkin patch and it has a great deal of sentimental meaning (e.g. a pumpkin from our wedding weekend), I have been a bit more vigilant than usual.  Plus, my fella made a joke about the growth of the pumpkin fruit representing our love and how if fruit doesn’t grow our love is dead. Um, thanks loving husband. I know you’re joking but COME ON! That’s a great deal of pumpkin pressure!

A few weeks ago the male flowers arrived. I had read several posts and knew that it would take a few weeks for the female flowers to appear. A few days ago they started too. The flowers with the long and thin stalks are the males. The flowers with the short and thick stalks are the females. Underneath the female flower, a tiny baby pumpkin fruit is located between the stem and the flower. The stigma must be pollinated in order for the fruit to develop. That’s alright because I have lots of bees and butterflies to do the trick. Shoot, even the wasps help and they don’t bother me one bit.

The hibiscus flowers are blooming on the three bushes in the front and side yard area. There is a bloom ready to open in the backyard tomorrow. And, I’ve already eaten my first tomato off the vine. Planting my tomatoes in pots may have helped with all the rain we’ve been having. Fortunately the water drains better and the fruits have been healthy.