The Pumpkin Blossom

 

This Pumpkin Blossom was a very beautiful sight and somewhat of a miracle. Living in Idaho we had a wet and cold winter this year and we started our seeds indoors. 

We planted tomatoes, peppers, peas, watermelons, cantaloupes and pumpkins near the middle of March. The seeds seem to struggle to germinate and grow. Most of the seeds didn't do much until early May.

One tomato sprouted first and that was a beautiful things in and of itself. The other seeds struggled sprouting over the next two weeks. The pumpkins were the last to germinate. The pumpkins started to really take off and when I finally was able to transplant them outside, about first of June, they had grown to be about 6 to 8 inches tall. 

Two days after setting the plants out, the pumpkins just fell over and started to die. Even though I watered them every day the pumpkins were really shocked by being transplanted.

I covered the plants each night for about a week and during this time we had a couple of nights where it frosted in our yard. By the end of the second week of June I decided that I could leave the plants uncovered, figuring that the frost was probably over for the summer. The third night after leaving the plants uncovered proved me wrong. We had a really heavy frost and I lost part of my seedlings. Including one of my pumpkins.

I have mentioned in the past that a neighbor had about 15 horses next to our house. One was a stallion, with the others mares, colts and a couple foals. Near the end of June, unknown to us, another neighbor's horses got out, with one being a stallion judging from the stud piles on either side of the fence. Anyway, when I got up the next morning I found that nearly 40 percent of our garden had been trampled. Only one of our pumpkins survived. 

Two or three days later a hailstorm came through our area and for about 30 minutes hail and rain pelted our yard including the garden area. I didn't expect to see anything left in the garden. You can imagine my surprise when I found that just a few of the plants were lost. The pumpkin had survived the hailstorm.

A few days later, as I looked out the kitchen window I saw this pumpkin blossom. What a beautiful sight it was. This pumpkin that had survived so much seemed determined to fulfill the purpose for which it had been created. 

I have been unemployed for a year now and have struggled with the weight of trying to provide for my family and to keep growing. I want to learn from this pumpkin, and not lose hope when everything seems to be set on knocking me down and keeping me down.

I hope if you see a pumpkin blossom in the future you will be reminded of the determination of this pumpkin, it truly is a beautiful thing. Things Remembered Silver Candle Basket Set - Cinnamon Spice