This farm tale starts, like many a modern farm tale, with a phone call. My good friend and sister Wendy called from California with a simple request: Would I be willing to create a small five day altar consisting of an apple, a white candle and fresh white flowers, and continue her angel blessing prayer for three people across the continent? Well, my first reaction was, sure, I’ll do it for my friend. Wendy works hospice, and her elders seemed to live for years once she begins their care. Everytime I went to Wendy’s house in Stinson Beach, I always heard bells from *somewhere* out there. My only real concern was, where in the heck would I ever find the requisite white flowers? It’s officially Fall and O dark thirty here in upstate NY. I kind of figured all the white flowers have faded. I have never bought flowers, preferring to grow them myself (cheaper!). Still, I was committed to somehow finding a way to make this happen without a visit to the flower store. Did I take a really close look at what was growing in my gardens? Of course not.
While I’m waiting for my miraculous white flowers to appear out of thin air so I can do this very special angel blessing for a really old friend, the lone pumpkin in our yard finally turned a beautiful shade of orange. This big mambo pumpkin began life as an unwanted seedling in an otherwise nasturtium, garlic and carrot bed. I saw the little leaf peek out and at first had no idea what plant it was, but decided since it appeared relatively near the cattle panel hoop trellis, I’d go ahead and see what it sprouted. Pretty soon we had lovely flowers that looked kind of squash like, then all of a sudden a beautiful monster green striped pumpkin appeared. This pumpkin got so big that we were all amazed that it managed to stay on the side of the cattle panel hoop trellis. The tenacity was amazing, and made us wonder what was holding it on. Finally, after close inspection, we realized that it was also growing a thick vine to accommodate its, well, hind quarters. The big mambo volunteer pumpkin came into the world on its own volution, almost got weeded, then against all odds, grew its own support system. That’s pretty poetic, and certainly fits into the cooperative model of living.
Meanwhile, I’m still wondering what to do for white flowers. I drove to Ada’s Spiritworks Botanica which moved to way out in Latham near the Toyota dealer so I could get the proper white candles from a sacred store. This is during a big rainstorm so I didn’t go check the garden. On the way back my 50 year old brain is trying to conjure flowers for the angel altar which was to be located inside the tipi if and when this slacker ever made it happen. I go home, go to sleep and dream that a sweet, wonderful, unnamed person gave me white flowers specifically for the angel blessing. I woke up knowing I had white flowers coming to me. Even though three days had gone by since the angel blessing request, it was going to happen soon. While driving (I get my best insights driving evidently) I realize that the other plant volunteers, five beautiful nicotania sylvestrious tobacco plants who appeared this summer in the asparagas beds would provide me with numerous fresh white trumpet flowers. These volunteers started out as two little plants from the Coop Garden Shop years ago. Why I never looked in the garden for these white flowers is beyond my understanding. I assumed the flowers were all gone but in fact, they were waiting to become part of a five day angel blessing for three people.
And the pumpkin stands alone, with its strong support system holding the world steady. Blessings to you all this fall. May we who remain close to the Earth always be fed.
