Surprise!

This Halloween marks a first for my husband and me. After 57 years of buying pumpkins for our jack-o- lanterns, we have finally harvested a crop from our own land.

Note that I did not say we grew them. All our attempts to grow vegetables and fruits have ended dismally. My pumpkin growing attempt two years ago produced nothing but a heap of dead vines despite my daily watering and tending.

Our harvest of nine small but perfectly shaped pumpkins was a gift from the goddess of pumpkins. Here is how the miracle happened.

Every year, after our jack-o-lanterns have crumpled and our porch pumpkins have gotten squishy, we have our annual pumpkin toss. Standing at the edge of our cliff, we pitch them over…a crude, fun form of composting.

This past spring we decided to make a temporary set of ropes and ladders to regain access to our beach. Our stairs were destroyed by high lake levels, but a big beach has now returned. The planning and construction of this scheme of secured ladders and rope took us to midsummer.

On our first venture down the cliff, a wonderful surprise awaited us. Big, healthy pumpkin vines and leaves with lovely yellow flowers were growing out of the lower part of the cliff. Two long vines were even thriving on the sandy beach itself.

We could not water or care for the vines because of their precarious locations. So nature had to continue doing all the work. In a few weeks, small green balls appeared where the flowers had withered. During the remaining days of summer, we watched them grow and turn bright orange.

Last week was the big harvest. Armed with shopping bags and a small saw, we carefully navigated down the cliff to claim our treasure. I can report the pumpkins and we made it back to the top with no bumps and bruises.

We are fairly certain this harvest is a once in a lifetime gift. One more thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

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