October Begins

Virginia Beach Pumpkin Patch. (Click picture for larger view)

October
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if the were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost--
For the grapes' sake along the all.
~ Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963)

This produce stand is right across the street from the hospital where my mother had surgery. I stopped one afternoon to check it out and will be posting pictures throughout the month. I never knew there were so many varieties of pumpkin with many different colors, skin textures, sizes and shapes. Scarecrows and painted pumpkin faces were setup for decorations.
The pumpkin patch brings back memories and I wish Nyssa could be here long enough this month to see it. When she was little her preschool took outings to the local pumpkin patch each year. This was set up at a local churchyard with hay bales and pumpkins for purchase. Even though the temperatures in Mississippi remained summer-like until late November (at least), the pumpkin patches in early October always signaled fall. (end of post)