See what I did there? In the interest of keeping the headline short and sweet and because I like alliteration, I combined the words “gold” and “orange” and “red” all which are colors that dominate Autumn.
Outta my gourd.
Over the years, expressions fall in and out of fashion … “out of one’s gourd” is one such expression. I never hear it anymore. Back in the day kids used to say “I’m bored out of my gourd” or, if they thought you said something crazy, they’d reply “you’re outta your gourd!” I suspect I probably just dated myself.
So, I figured I should have at least one post that mentions pumpkins since we are immersed in harvest season and also embarking on Halloween week.
Pumpkins – like ‘em, love ‘em?
When you think of pumpkins, what comes to mind first? Beautiful harvest displays in the neighborhood with pristine pumpkins sitting atop hay bales? Perhaps those scary-looking jack-o-lanterns come to mind, or Autumn delights like sipping a pumpkin spice latte or savoring pumpkin pie?
I waited until mid-September to go to take any pumpkin pictures. My first stop was a local gas station about four miles away. You may recall I went on a wild-goose chase looking for sunflowers at the tail end of August, only to find a large garden of sunflowers at a gas station located on a busy intersection. I got some pictures and took note that at the base of those sunflowers was a tangle of large leaves and delicate yellow flowers. I figured those blossoms surely would have morphed into pumpkins by now, so off I went to get some pumpkins-in-the-raw photos.
Well, so much for that idea, as those gourds had already been harvested. I walked back to the car and continued on to Heritage Park. I knew that soon the Botanical Gardens would be dismantled and the annuals and tropical flowers hauled away to overwinter safely from the harsh weather elements, so it was best to hustle up there and get some pictures.
It was a gorgeous September day, so I planned to spend a few hours walking at this picturesque venue.
First up – the Botanical Gardens.
This beautiful venue never disappoints and as I stepped into the Conservatory area, I had to chuckle to myself, as the volunteers who take care of the Conservatory plants and adjacent gardens, had placed gourds in many of the large planters. Here are few of them:
I walked around the Gardens and decided “why not capture images of the golds, oranges and reds that so define this season?” Here are few of those blooms and an ornamental pepper plant:
I then had the bright idea to check out the Community Gardens and see if people were growing or ready to harvest pumpkins and gourds there.
The Community Gardens were looking a little desolate.
Most gardeners are a bit wistful when growing season is officially over. They pull out the annuals, packing away the pots and baskets for next Spring. Perennials and rosebushes are lopped off in advance of next year’s growing season after many months of dormancy. As I walked through the Community Gardens, it looked like most gardeners had already put their gardens “to bed” for the 2020 growing season. I managed to get a few shots of gourds, still growing and almost done.
And, as I walked down the center mulched pathway looking for pumpkins and/or gourds, I found some fun items in the various Community Gardens plots.
I may have to use this door for Norm’s Thursday doors blog site.
The goose-crossing sign near the Petting Farm was laying on the ground while a new driveway was being put into place … hmm, hopefully drivers will beware of the Canada geese as they cross busy Pardee Road, because everyone knows those lazy geese never cross with the stoplight.
I have not returned to Heritage Park during Autumn for several reasons. There were activity weekends for kids at the Petting Farm and at/around the Park in September and October, plus all the historical buildings are being revitalized, including paint jobs, so this year I skipped my usual outing to capture images of the beautiful leaf colors.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
A wonderful group of fall photos, I do love seeing all the pumpkins and fall decorations in people’s yards. Some folks are very creative, my parents used to always put the dried corn stalks, tied in bundles out in their front yard. My sisters children and grandchildren all carved pumpkins yesterday and sent me the photos. They put colored lights in their pumpkins this year, very pretty. 🙂
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Thank you Sandra – glad you liked them. I actually like the harvest decorations better than the Christmas decor. There is one house that has some great harvest decor and I took photos of that house to use during Thanksgiving week – the homeowner decorates for a lot of the seasons, but harvest time is the best – he has a wooden scarecrow in man’s clothing holding up a basket of flowers, but he also has the hay bales and more mums and gourds artfully arranged around the scarecrow. Always the same theme, but always nice. When his kids were younger, he built them a huge tree house – it took a Summer to make it and then he painted it, put windows and a door in, then a bucket that went up and down on a rope or pulley. The kids are older now, but it was fun to watch. I did a post on the tree house one time. The pumpkins and cornstalks sound so festive – I hope all the wind and rain we had does not mess up all the holiday decor.
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I’m glad you commented on your title, because I missed it. My eyes slid right over it, and I read gourds and oranges. Your photos and narrative were super.
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Thanks Anne – glad you liked the photos and narrative. It seemed these three colors were predominant at Heritage Park that day. It was nice returning to the Community Garden and just walking through with no gardeners around – in fact I don’t think I saw anyone at the entire park that morning. I had some pictures of the ducks and the historical buildings, but eliminated them to go with this color theme.
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I love the pumpkins and gourds. Sadly this year I wasn’t inspired to buy them to decorate like I usually do. I have one rather small pumpkin on my front porch (it’s the only size at my local grocery store).
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They really made it look festive. I noticed the usual homes that decorate have scaled back so I wondered if the pumpkins weren’t available – maybe people didn’t plant seeds as seeds weren’t in the store? In our stores that carried nursery items, they were cordoned off so people could have flats of flowers brought to the car, but not go inside and buy seeds for example. It was like that for a very long time – this was what incited the problems with people opposing the Governor’s restrictions. I have a favorite home with harvest decor and I’ll use those pictures Thanksgiving week … he did his usual display this year. I don’t put pumpkins out, just a bittersweet wreath with orange berries.
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Usually our grocery store has a big supply of all sizes but they didn’t this year. I don’t know if they are in short supply but I suspect the garden centers have a better supply. Our garden center had the inside roped off too but you could tell them what you wanted and they would bring it to the car.
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Could be if your weather is as wacky as our, most people’s pumpkins began wilting after all the wacky weather we had … it was 78 last Friday before the storm (then dropped 25 degrees). Now there have been reports of snow flurries about 30 miles from here.
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We haven’t had the severe swings you have had. We haven’t seen 80 in weeks or even near it. We haven’t hit the predicted highs lately. Today we will be in the mid 50s with rain all day but there hasn’t been any snow either or even close.
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They have uttered the “snow” word as a possibility this Sunday but just traces. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan has been hit hard with 8 inches of snow in Marquette last weekend. That snow can stay there in my opinion. I am happy for the time change because between the gray and late sunrise, it’s been a shorter walk on workdays for me.
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I like the time change too. Sometimes from all the complaining about it, you and me may be the only ones that like it! 🙂
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I am happy to leave earlier than 8:45 or almost 9:00 a.m. as I did today when I have to be at work at 11:00 a.m. … it makes for a short walk. I am home at night anyway and only go out in the morning so I hope they don’t abolish it. People grumble about it every year and have for decades!
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People grumble about just about everything.
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What a treat for the eyes! Great fall-inspired photos and yep, I missed the title and had to go back and re-read. I only have a few very small pumpkins I purchased a few weeks ago, and sadly they are looking a bit wilted already. I roasted butternut squash yesterday for soup. Have a lovely day, Linda. xo kim
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Thanks Kim – I do love this season the most of any of them. I think the people who put out harvest decor and now want to carve their pumpkins will find the same wilted pumpkins as you. We have had a roller coaster of hot and cold temps here in Michigan in October … last Friday it was 78 degrees and dropped 25 degrees after a storm rolled through. You enjoy your day as well Kim – likely tomorrow now when you read this. I am behind in Reader and trying valiantly to keep up, Take care.
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I was thinking goranges were gourds and oranges. An interesting cross. LOL. I love the pictures of the garden art especially the frog and the chair and the gate photo.
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I should have combined all the words and made it really interesting … or, at the very least, a tongue twister! I liked the garden art too Ruth. These really caught my eye, especially the door. There is a fellow blogger named Norm, who has a hobby of photographing doors wherever he goes … just the unusual or ornate doors. He encourages bloggers to share their door pictures blogs on his site.
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Dear Miss “Alliteration”……………………………….no I sure didn’t get it!…………………….thanks for telling me though………………………you’re TOO clever!
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Hmm – guess I shouldn’t have done that title on a Monday then?! Thank you Ann Marie – you will swell my head. Heritage Park has lots of renovations going on according to the Heritage Park Photo of the Day site I follow on Facebook. They’re doing each building and when I was there last, the new shed for all the park’s maintenance equipment, that sits where the old barn used to be, is all finished. It alters the landscape a little bit. The old barn, as ramshackle and faded as it was and the white fence around it, was the subject of many photos through the years.
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I used to say I was out of my gourd. I wonder when I stopped saying that? Rhetorical question, obviously. Your title is nicely alliterative, and your photos are lovely. Another good day out and about for you.
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Thanks Ally – glad you liked the photos. It is a beautiful park there and provided me the pumpkin shots I was clamoring for. I was trying to recall when I last used that expression too. I’m glad I am not the only person who remembers it.
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I’ve never heard of that expression Linda? Love the flower pics and that frog is too cute. No pumpkins here, because of clashing with all my pinks which are still going strong. I have some inside fall decorations which I just finished putting up even though we’re a month into fall already, but no gourds inside either. Gourds to me are like pumpkin spice – best to be avoided, unless it’s something like squash which you can eat.
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Thank you Joni – glad you liked the photos – it was a colorful day and I wanted to get there before they dismantled the annuals portion of the Botanical Gardens. It is all done by volunteers – that’s a big job as it’s a big place. I used to decorate in the house back in the day – little baskets around with chocolates wrapped in Fall colors., wreath, other touches we collected through the years … I miss doing that. I have had squash – my mom bought it and put marshmallow in it and baked it, but that’s the only type of gourd I’ve had (except pumpkin in pie … we got canned pumpkin).
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Isn’t it amazing how many different gourds there are? I love the humor in all the gardens and I had completely forgotten about being out of your gourd expression and haven’t heard it since I was a kid! Awesome post Linda!
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Yes, I like seeing those gourds in harvest displays too. They had mostly squash at the gardens, but I like seeing the round, multi-colored gourds … some get really big. I am glad you liked the post Diane – that was a funny expression and I wonder what happened to it?
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I well remember “you’re outta your gourd!” Haven’t heard it in years, though. Goranges – you’ve coined something new. 🙂 I like white pumpkins, they look so pretty in moon gardens. Love all the pretty flowers you found, and whimsical garden ornaments. Sounds like a wonderful outing.
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Where do all those expressions go through the years. In fact, a client sent me an e-mail about loads of expressions that have disappeared and I remember some, but most were from the late 50s and early 60s. New word for Fall colors – I wonder if will catch on? Those white pumpkins are unique looking. I follow Birds and Blooms on Facebook and they showed the flowers to create a moon garden. I shared it with a woman photographer/fellow blogger who loves taking pictures of the moon, leaving at 4:00 a.m. most mornings to head to the river to take sunrise or moon pictures. I liked the whimsical garden ornaments too – they really make the Community Garden fun and a little less desolate as most gardens were done for the year.
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Hi Linda
Its been a long time. I read your posts on my phone but its settings would not let me comment for some reason- my apologies for not being punctual with my reading and commenting.
I enjoyed the post as usual and the pictures are great. I enjoyed the chili pepper one the best because of course I am Indian and love my spices.I also loved the goranges in the pots( to be honest, I thought you were going to write about the orange fruit). I am sorry that the summer is officially over and all the pots and plants are packed off for the next year. Hoping next year is better. We have all had a hard year and shocking in some aspects. We have been humbled and these small gourds are reflective of how much we have been so. I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful election.
With love
Susie
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I can remember those “gourd” sayings, Linda. I guess I should since you and I are the same age! 🙂 Even though autumn isn’t my favorite season (it’s my 3rd favorite), fall colors are my favorites. I always loved reds, oranges, and yellows (goranges), especially in flowers.
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What happened to that expression and the others Laurie? I like Autumn, but am always mindful that Winter comes next – ugh. I didn’t like Winter before I started my walking regimen, so I like it even less now. I love the colors of Fall too. I will have a post coming up next Monday on some of the Fall flowers in the ‘hood. I put it on the back burner in order to do this week’s Halloween posts.
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so basically you came up pumpkinless? There must be a farm close by you could still go visit? Find out who and where they are selling.
You have a lot of flowers still out!
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There is a big produce market and I thought of going there, then decided on going to our City’s Farm Market instead. They hold it every Sunday from 11:00 – 4:00 from May through the end of October, but this year only did it three times and the day they had the last one was when we had an all-day rain. Next year I hope things are back to normal. I went to the gas station where the guy grows corn, sunflowers, tomatoes, squash and pumpkins on the corner of his lot, but he must’ve harvested them already. I did not bring any pumpkins home. And only small gourd shots. I did not buy pumpkins for the squirrels this year (apples neither) due to the hawks. If they bring the picnic table back, I’ll think of doing it. Unless I put them in that little hidey hole I’ve found under the Weeping Mulberry tree.
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even the squirrels are affected by covid!
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Yes, and hopefully this time next year will be normal, but I kind of doubt it.
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me too,Trump has royally screwed America!
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Ha ha, I love how you sset out for photos and end up somewhere completely different! That’s life 😉 – Beautiful photos!
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Yes, like when I went looking for sunflowers and got lost – you have a good memory Jeanine. Thanks – glad you liked the photos – I really like going there and would have returned for Fall colors (they have lots of trees), but they are repainting all the historical buildings and doing repairs so I didn’t want that in the background … will go next year. It is a nice park and gardens … the gardens and conservatory have been taken down now. It is run by volunteers so they take the plants to a warm place for the Winter and the Community Gardens folks have harvested all their veggies too.
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I’ve seen Indian Summer in PA once and it was so beautiful! Would be lovely in your area as well. Enjoy the last sunny days!
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It is beautiful Jeanine – the trees are sometimes still ablaze in color and warm temps. We had a hard freeze two weeks ago and it did not get all the flowers. They say we will have cold temps, very gusty winds and maybe light snow Sunday … no accumulation though. Too early for that white stuff!
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