NaBloPoMo #2 2014

Do you remember when the world looked like this?  

Moonflowers are a dicey proposition in my hort zone.  I buy them early in the spring.  They are carted in and out of the porch each night when frost threatens.  They get primo real estate in the containers on the deck.  Special support stakes appear at the right time for their grasping lanky limbs.  They grow.  And grow.  When it seems that the weather will turn on them, they finally bloom in late September.  Every few days, several flowers open.  So much work.  So few flowers.

The last buds never open.  The leaves brown slowly until frost takes their sap.  By next spring, I will have forgotten all this.  And I will buy one again, a hopeful little plant in a small pot.

This is closer to what life looks like today.  My yard was peak foliage this weekend, the latest ever.  All the color is blowing into the forest today, as the northeast winds beat on the clapboards.  Flurries appeared today.  I danced happily in the parking lot of the hardware store, before pulling my coat tighter to my body, and zipping up.  I'm not sure my husband agreed, but he understood.

The season holds comforts.  Full red wines.  A wool sweater in progress on my lap.  Looms waiting for warps.  Down comforters welcoming the night's nap.  A chicken roasting in the oven, perfuming the house, and persuading me that this post is done.

Comments

[Bonny]

To every thing there is a season, and you've written a lovely ode to some of the best of this season.

[Cheryl S.]

The moonflowers are so pretty - and I love the spiral buds. I have some purple morning glory that reseeds itself happily, but I'm rarely out in the garden early enough to enjoy the flowers. I'm afraid I probably wouldn't see the moonflowers too much, either.

[SpindleRose]

Pretty red leaves. I miss fall color. I even miss snow.

[Carole]

I want to try moonflowers next year - are you saying it's not worth it? As for the weather, well, you know what I think. But I'm with you on the full red wines.

[claudia]

Mmmm. Chicken.

[Jo-Ann]

I wish I had more patience for gardening ... I think I'll just enjoy your moonflowers. I didn't mind seeing the snow today, although I hope it doesn't last, not quite yet. The chicken, sweater knitting, and red wine, though, those I am on board with!

[Ruth]

This was a very snuggle-in sort of day. I left the house to go to church and the grocery store, and that was it.

[margene]

You make winter sound like the perfect season, which for you it is. I'd like it all except the dark (oh, and the cold!).

[gayle]

You almost make me appreciate this time of year. Almost...

[Manise]

I love moonflowers, esp in the evening as it's the last visible color. Well worth the effort, though your back may not agree. Enjoying the leaves on my Kwanzaan cherry tree and pink Kousa dogwood- from purples to mauves and bright reds and greens to orangey reds respectively. The morning light catches them just so and it's breathtaking.