Fall 2023 has been a fairly dismal one for me, with total knee replacement surgery impairing my movements and limiting my decorating capability. A month housebound in recovery isn’t conducive to getting out to see the sights, smell the aromas, taste the cider or pick the pumpkins of a Pennsylvania autumn in the foothills of the Poconos, and a Halloween shorn of all but the most recently-acquired decorations is certainly a huge step down from the norm at this time of year. I haven’t even been able to carve a jack-o-lantern, for the first time in … well, forever.
A selection of pumpkins and gourds from Linvilla Orchards, in Media, PA, an annual haunt for autumn produce“One Too Many” pumpkin, named for its bloodshot appearanceRegardless of the available bounty, I limited myself to one small display of seasonal pumpkins and squashes in the kitchen this year
Despite my infirmity, life, and the waning of it in the natural world, goes on. Fortunately I was able to get out for a preemptive farmstand strike just a week before my surgery, to revel in autumn produce, and as October fades and I’m back in the saddle, I can still get a glimpse of fall color and an infusion of cider, before it’s gone for another year.
As summer waned, I probably should have worked harder to edit the autumn natives, as the ubiquity of this plethora of wild aster panoply attests; at least the pollinators were pleased
But I missed much of the glorious riot of color which is autumn, even in my own garden, off limits until I was off the walker and more confident with the cane. I’m just getting out there again now, and enjoying the dregs of what must have been a lovely month.
Fruited beauty: this aronia brilliantissima (red chokeberry) has stunning fall color, and berries that birds adoreCallicarpa americana is aptly called “beauty berry,” for its impossibly purple fruits
Outside, in the week before the surgery, I did a small installation for Halloween in the front yard, the first I have ever done there. It’s simple but fun – a skeleton walking his skeletal dog on a chain, waving gaily to passersby. Of the usual explosion of pumpkins, gourds, hay bales, mums and cornshocks by the garden gate, there is no trace.
I’ve waited three years for my cornus alternifolia (Pagoda dogwood) to provide the autumn color it promised, but it was worth the wait! Sadly, I wasn’t able to get out into the garden to take a picture while it was at peak, but even as it fades you can see the promise fulfilledAs always, the hydrangeas are a focal point of the shade garden; here is Pee Wee, a dwarf variety that sports burgundy rose foliage in the fallNo longer hydration-starved after a wet summer, Snowflake was able to put on a much more vivid show than last yearThe incomparable Alice oakleaf hydrangea, resplendent in her fall chemise
Similarly, the backyard and garden, usually populated with dozens of spooky denizens and several graveyards, is totally bare. I did get some lovely color on the dogwood saplings, which I could view from the window, but didn’t get out early enough to get a picture at their height. And the hydrangeas, in tones from fire red to purple-burgundy, are still not quite at peak, so I can enjoy their show. But the goldenrod and asters are all but gone, and even the Montauk daisy, last to bloom, is fading.
This is the only chrysanthemum to survive and return annually, of six planted in the fall of 2020; by now she’s a huge ball of purple, nearing the end of her bloom cycle hereMontauk Daisy is among the last perennial to bloom in the autumn, with radiant white petals surrounding a sunny golden core
Inside the story is much the same. With the exception of a few plastic Halloween blow molds, nothing was brought out of storage, and I’ve had to be contented with the truncated décor of autumn, already pared down in early September with a view to my upcoming incapacitation, plus whatever new items I purchased for Spooky Season this year.
Outside Halloween decorations were kept to a minimum this year, with just this one installation in the front yard, and nothing in the gardenA simple bow window treatment includes flanking totems of cheap plastic jack-o-lantern treat buckets, just stacked atop each other, with no glue to bind themTwo solar spotlights illumine this skeleton with his dog, backed by the orange glow of a blow mold in the bow window
On a brighter note, I’ve had time to view most of the Halloween movies and specials that clutter the DVR year-long, but usually get only a token viewing in October. It’s been fun reconnecting with this much-loved media, even if I’ve had to do it with my leg elevated and iced.
It was a “spirited” buying season for Halloween his year, with ghosts far and away leading the pack of new acquisitionsThis boo-boy isn’t new, but the white jack-o-lanterns flanking him are, from Martha Stewart for TJ MaxxA few more vintage spooks complete the ghostly ranks for 2023
I know it’s a far cry from what you’ve come to expect of my autumnal seasonal offerings, but I offer for your enjoyment this distillation of the saddest Alex fall on record.
What’s Halloween without a few vampires and bats? This line of bloodsuckers flits and swoops along the stairwayIt was a good year for vampires, too, with two cookie jars, a salt & pepper set, a nutcracker and a Pez dispenser added to the collection
Ah, well, there’s always next year…
The hall is populated with the newest cats, including two cookie jars (bottom shelf), a hinged lidded candy container, a mug and a pair of salt & pepper shakers (middle shelf)I had to have one Headless Horseman on display, representing America’s oldest ghost story; this fine example, his mount, and the surrounding graveyard, are all 2023 acquisitionsThis skeleton mother and son take time away from rattling their bones to play with the pet cat A lighted skull, yet another cookie jar, and a creepy hand completed the new Halloween decorations for 2023
Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, author of The Black Hole Book, detailing deep space points in astrological interpretation, and the forthcoming Heaven on Earth, a comprehensive study of asteroids, both mythic and personal. Alex is a frequent contributor to “The Mountain Astrologer”, “Daykeeper Journal”, and NCGR’s Journals and “Enews Commentary”; his work has also appeared in “Aspects” magazine, “Dell Horoscope”, “Planetwaves”, “Neptune Café” and “Sasstrology.” He is a past president of Philadelphia Astrological Society, and a former board member for the Philadelphia Chapter of NCGR.
Sorry you’ve been so miserable Alex but your Autumn showcase and Halloween decorations exceeded my expectations! Loved the new decorative pumpkins and headless horseman and agree the guy walking his dog is fantastic! Recognized favourites like the pet cat from other years. Somehow you’ve still managed to outdo yourself and you brought smiles to my face. Thanks Alex and feel better soon!
If this is a downsized version of your usual autumnal decorating extravaganza, I can hardly imagine a year of displays when you are unencumbered! So impressive and very entertaining, even in digital form. Thank you for this gift, and hoping your recovery excelerates!
3 comments, add yours.
Irmgard Dering
How do you manage with all that pain? The skeleton with the dog, how did you ever think of that? Fantastic!
Get well…
Irmgard
Laurien
Sorry you’ve been so miserable Alex but your Autumn showcase and Halloween decorations exceeded my expectations! Loved the new decorative pumpkins and headless horseman and agree the guy walking his dog is fantastic! Recognized favourites like the pet cat from other years. Somehow you’ve still managed to outdo yourself and you brought smiles to my face. Thanks Alex and feel better soon!
Linda
If this is a downsized version of your usual autumnal decorating extravaganza, I can hardly imagine a year of displays when you are unencumbered! So impressive and very entertaining, even in digital form. Thank you for this gift, and hoping your recovery excelerates!