The Resurrection of Sula
Vince,
Our own twists and turns, sometimes literal, reveal what we owe to you and
the other growers on this list.
On July 25, because I was out of state, David pollinated a female on my
backward growing, late started, direct seeded 417 D Morgan 03. Sula has been
the apple of my eye, small but perfect, a softly scalloped wagon wheel.
Punkie the landlord's cat has been extremely attentive, worshiping at her
feet by rolling in the sand with claws outstretched. Naughty Punkie!
Earlier this week I found Dracula kisses on the smooth skin of her topside.
Naughty Possums!
Last evening I found Sula lying on her stem.
Here's where we owe you:
With David's help I constructed a styrofoam hemorrhoid cushion, rocked her
onto it blossom end down after severing the vines all around, which we had
learned to do from you several years back.
May she live to the end of the season!
May you live long and grow giants!
Thanks,
Kathie
--
----------
>From: vince <anaid_tecuod@yahoo.com>
>To: pumpkins@hort.net
>Subject: The Resurrection of Little David
>Date: Wed, Aug 25, 2004, 7:21 PM
>
> Every year there are twists and turns in the fortunes of my
> patch that rival the convoluted tunnels of the moles.
> Tragedies abound, and the most common sound to be heard is the
> hissing as my expectations are slowly deflated... This year is
> no different.
>
> Lilu, my 1048 Companion, a plant with perfectly aligned genes,
> grew with such vigor and conviction - it appeared nothing could
> stop it, not the moles, not my rabid fertilization ideas, nor
> our cold blustery summer. A beautiful long fruit formed on the
> main and grew rapidly, hitting 30 pounds a day at its peak...
>
> Then the hissing started as multiple sag lines started to
> develop and the fruit slowly transformed visually from pumpkin
> perfection to something vaguely akin to a large orange cow pie.
> Now at 54 days, it is showing every sign of maturing early and
> is slowing down dramatically.
>
> One area on the pumpkin where a sag line meets a deep rib draws
> an involuntary groan from me each time I lift the blanket...
> The slow hissing sound could turn into a sudden pop some
> morning soon - I've seen this particular Greek tragedy
> before...
>
> My other plant Medusa (1230 Daletas) is more of a mystery.
> This was a back-up plant to Little David, a 1016 Daletas that
> became so confused whether he was one plant or two that I
> pulled it. Medusa was a hideous aggressive flat vine with
> slithering snake secondaries. I whacked the main and fought
> furiously to tame the secondaries. This was no mean feat
> considering I had to wear welding goggles most the time to
> avoid being turned to stone by her fearful gaze...
>
> I set a pumpkin 14 feet out on this plant. It was the largest
> female flower I had ever seen. When it hit 22" circumference
> at 7 days, it dawned on me that it was, ahh, an unusually
> large start. At ten days it was 35" in circumference. At
> twenty days it was 82.5" and growing at 5 inches in
> circumference a day! After that, the data is shrouded in
> mystery as I avoided all eye contact with the plant and its
> unholy spawn...
>
> Today, while walking around the patch depressed about Lilu, I
> inadvertently glanced up and looked directly into the eyes of
> the fruit on Medusa. I was instantly frozen in time... My
> heart stopped... I was transfixed in wonder and awe - the most
> majestic, perfectly sculpted image of a large pumpkin my poor
> eyes had ever beheld!... and I was surprisingly not turned to
> stone - as my breathing continued in short raspy gasps...
>
> No Medusa here, this is a masterpiece of form - as if carved
> from the finest white marble by the inspired hands of a master.
> Little David lives again in my patch. Not the David of
> biblical fame but a larger than life work of art transported
> here from the Renaissance... If Michelangelo had seen this
> pumpkin - he would have run that buff stud out of his studio
> and carved this pumpkin instead... Its majestic form takes
> your breath away.
>
> Absolutely amazing - how reality twists and turns in the patch
> of Yin and Yang... That's my pumpkin patch - and I'm happy to
> be here... growing giant pumpkins that never cease to astound
> me as they spring gloriously from the dirt...
>
> http://www.zunino.net/diana/chronicles/of_lilu.htm
>
> vince
> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
