A Post-Flood Pumpkin Patch

Before I start writing about what's been on my mind the last few days - I want to add an 'up-date' in response to a recent inquiry from a reader.

Mrs Mecomber wondered if the Hurricane of 1938 had caused flooding in this area. I did a little phone calling - and looking around on the Internet - and I think I can safely say - I don't know.

Our family friend's mom had mentioned to me in passing - months after the Invisible Flood of 06 had finished soaking into the ground - that she recalled seeing photos of another big flood during the 1930's. I also recall news articles following our June of 2006 flood mentioning a big flood in the same time-frame.

I gave our family friend's elderly mom a call the other day and we talked about that long-ago 1930's flood she has stored away in her thoughts. She told me she recalls the photos - one showed a rowboat tied up to the front porch of their home - and the boat was floating on the floodwater. She said the water was high enough that the bottom of the boat was level with the porch floor.

I know that front porch firsthand and if memory serves correct - I posted a photo of it here on the blog at some point following our flood, to show where the missing porch steps had once resided.

Our friend went on to say she wasn't 'exactly' sure of the year - though she does know it was in the 1930's and remembers it as being before the East Sidney Dam was built.

While searching around the Internet I learned about the 1936 St. Patrick's Day flood. I also learned more about the Hurricane in 1938. The Susquehanna River Basin's website has an article which tells us "Since the 1800's, the main stem of the Susquehanna has flooded every 20 years on average." They also mention the Native Americans long ago telling of frequent floods during their time of living in this area. If you'd like to read the article - hopefully the link above will take you directly to it.

In 1936 - I'd venture a guess that there must have been a fairly good sized flooding event. I stumbled across a Historical Flood Peaks listing from the U.S. Geological Survey. Their numbers show during March 18, 1936 the flood stage in Unadilla reached 16.6 feet. That number would place that particular peak level at number 2 - the only higher level being compliments of our June 2006 flood when the level reached 17.73 feet. For those inquiring minds who may be interested in flood level trivia - Unadilla's 'major flood stage' is listed as 14.5 feet, anything above that number would likely be a flood that could be considered a bit beyond the 'major' stage.

Now - on to today's topic.

My daughter and I have been noting that autumn seems to be wanting to set in - leaves are changing a little and lots of leaves are already starting to fall here at our home. The air's been chilly in the mornings this week and there's been school morning grumbling about the school room feeling a little bit too chilly for a certain student's taste.

These thoughts of autumn helped me decide I'd better capture a few photos of my daughter's garden before good old Jack Frost pays his first visit.

I mentioned last spring that we wouldn't be planting anything edible this time around - we don't trust the soil since the Invisible Flood of 06 destroyed her garden last year. Even in the early spring this year - the soil still had a nasty smell to it. We decided to plant flowers instead and set about buying lots of packets of flower seeds.

That decision-making was before she planted the pumpkin and gourd seeds our neighbor gave her. I didn't know about those other seeds for a week or so - until they started sprouting in her garden. By that point - she no longer knew which seeds she'd plant where - it became a game of 'anybodies guess.'

Here's a view of the pumpkin, gourd and flower garden she planted this spring.

You can see - a few of the sunflowers have tried to make a showing despite the over-sized pumpkin/gourd leaves trying to block their path upwards.

The garden has also taken over quite a bit of the side-lawn, it's now twice the size she started with this spring.

This next photo is meant to show the 'prize' pumpkin - this one was first to show itself and is the largest of the group.

It's there - though you may have to zoom in to see it in the foreground.

She's really proud of this pumpkin and she checks on it every day. During the dry spells we've had this summer, she also took buckets of water to keep it well supplied. We noticed yesterday that it's just now getting a few tinges of orange coloring here and there.

My daughter was quite pleased this week when a few other flowers found their way up through the pumpkin/gourd leaves.

Once I learned she'd planted the pumpkin and gourd seeds - I didn't bother with the idea of using MiracleGro to encourage flowers to bloom. I figured they'd never stand a chance and I'd just save it for next year's garden. Finding the zinnias the other day showed me they really didn't need MiracleGro anyway, they showed up in time - all on their own.

The gourds were the first to show themselves - in early July we started finding them. I'm not sure those early-bloomers survived once the pumpkins took over - I can't seem to find them now.

It's OK though - she still has several of the type in this photo - we think they look a bit odd, a sort of 'ghost-octopus combination' looking of a gourd. They are really quite large too - some are as big as a good-sized acorn squash.

We didn't plant the tomatoes showing up in this photo. These are the result of last year's tomato crop - the ones we never ate.

My daughter thought we should leave all the carrots and tomatoes in the garden last year - to give the wild bunnies something to eat during the winter. She carefully dug up the carrots and left them on top of the soil - to make it easier for the bunnies to get to them. The tomatoes sprouted this spring and they've grown into fairly over-sized cherry tomatoes. The bunnies will have them this winter - we're not about to eat anything coming out of this garden - though I will admit - those tomatoes are pretty tempting.

I'm sure you'll have a hard time finding what I'm showing you in this next photo - it's a smaller pumpkin.

I didn't know this pumpkin was growing until I almost ran over it with the mower a few weeks ago. It has chosen a location that is a bit troublesome - right on the edge of the driveway.

Now that I'm aware of it's presence - I'm really careful as I drive past it with the car and the mower. I'd never hear the end of it if I made a mistake and hit it.

The other day we visited our favorite farmer and picked up mums to plant between the new little hedges.

My daughter has started out her school year in top form - she's just finished up a 'record-breaking' great first week. She likes having a weekly schedule and daily assignment sheets - they fit well with her independent nature.

Because of this new-found independent study habit she's exhibiting this school year - I had a long enough break from the schoolroom to pop the mums into the ground.

I like this new school year a lot - I teach the lesson and then she does her work without requiring me to be at her side. This is big progress and hopefully it will free-up time now and then for me to move along on more of our flood recovery work. My goal is to have it all done before winter sets in. That - of course - may just be more of that magical thinking of mine. Time will tell.

Today's thought: Have you noticed the signs of the change in season taking place around you? Take a moment today to stop and enjoy the beauty and wonder of our world.

'Til next time, Pam