The Party Continues

Here you will find the reflections and thank you's from my recent birthday party.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Will Squash Grow on Trees?


I love butternut squash!  It grows almost wild in my garden because the seeds I put into my worm composting bin come up voluntarily every season.  I have squash all over my garden and also in my flower beds.  This summer Ralph, I name my squash plants, took over the flower bed.  When I say take over, I mean, he grew everywhere, even outside the defines of the bed, over the pathways, down beside the house and into the patio.  So I was about to pull him out when I saw not one but two about to mature squash.  They had been hidden under the leaves.  So I decided to see if he would grow when twined up into the dogwood tree.  

The question is.....will squash grow in trees?  I applied the ecological principle of interiority.  Every living thing and every natural element has interiority, that is they are endowed by the Creator with both a sacredness and an integrity, a wisdom of their own.  Would Ralph, as a squash plant, know how to grow in a tree? 

After a month, I decided that yes, despite the fact a squash plant has not twining abilities, no small clinging tentacles to allow it to attach to a surface, with my help it would grow in the tree.  So the one squash which I carefully nestled in the joint of two limbs matured, turned yellow and it was time to harvest.   I reached for it, tried to lift it from it's nest only to find that it had grown into the limbs of the tree itself.  The only way I can harvest Ralph's offspring is to cut it in half where it rests and take it out in pieces.

1 comment:

  1. This is CLASSIC. I love the image! Just imagine, the squash ran away with the tree :)

    So, do you refer to Ralph when you're eating the good cream soup later??

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