The first frost

 “All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I've always loved that epic tale, since the first time I read the books at 9 years old, and again at 13 and again at 36 when I read them to my daughter every night before bedtime. Something pretty timeless about the tale of good versus evil and the quest of small folk to overcome adversity and trials and defeat foes much larger than themselves. Speaks volumes to our situation in America today really.  I've always liked the saying "deep roots are not reached by the frost". Frost it did finally, this morning the temperature was 26 as I left illahe for work, downtown Salem it was 31, enough to knock the Dahlia's down finally and end the growing season. Of course at illahe I have a pretty good selection of overwintering veggies for sustenance in the garden, cabbage, kale, collard greens and cardoons predominate and they all seem to perk up with the frost and coolness of fall. This weekend was all work as I winterized the patio tropicals and snugged up the potted bulbs into the coldhouse for the winter.

I love this season, and would be reveling in it more if weren't feeling like we are engaged in the biggest game of capture the flag the country has ever seen. My ballot has been cast and I can only hope now that a light from the shadows shall spring and that once again the flag of my country will stand proudly for liberty and justice for all, for the immigrants like my family once were waiting on the shore for the golden opportunity. That the flag will stand for a new equality for all  regardless of color, religion, race or gender. That once again the flag will  be something I can be proud of and not ashamed of. Vote as if your life depends on it because it does. 

 

The annual pumpkin carving at the nursery was a success, of course I think my fish took first place but we didn't really judge it and I think everyone came away from that evening as a winner. 

Narcissus obsoletus
Just a wonderful fall blooming daffodil to welcome the change in seasons. 

The crew brought out some creativity and passion as we combined a socially distance oktoberfest with the pumpkin carving fun. 

Crocus niveus
with it's creamy white set on golden hues

So far Crocus thomasii is proving to the be the winner from the saffron group in Western Oregon, showy, with ever increasing clumps this one is tenacious.

I've been tracking the frost dates at illahe for over 10 years now and it seems like 7 out of 10 times it's been around halloween. It almost always falls when the pumpkins are carved so this years was just a bit early. I seem to remember one year it was well into the second week of November. Regardless, this year I was ready for it and ready for the changes ahead, changes for the better. 

Mark