Octoberfest

You will see better why I had trouble trying to come up with a top-ten countdown for best blog posts of 2020 as I present the editor/writer selections for October of 2020.  Yes.  Just October.  And I had a tough time cutting this month down to ten.  In fact, I didn't manage it, there are eleven here.

Part of the reason for the difficulty is that October was apparently a creative month - with all sorts of topics and perspectives.  I mean - it's got to be a good blog month if you have not one, but TWO posts with Crazy Maurice! 

Crazy Maurice's Monarchy - We were talking about the little fluttery things that can't seem to fly straight.  He called the orange and black ones "Monarchs," but I like calling them "little fluttery things that can't fly straight and occasionally glide, love flowers, and roost in tree limbs at night, sometimes tickling the host tree..." (note, there was more to this name - Fuzzy Guy).

But It Wasn't Funny - But, occasionally, I get to hear the whispered conversations of my elders - the Burr Oaks on the southern part of this farm.  I have learned that, when they talk - I should listen.  And, when I listen, I have to be prepared to listen for a while.  I mean - they are kind of... well... deliberate.   That's a new word the Fuzzy Guy taught me this year when I tried to explain it to him.  I like that word.  And that's not an accident.

And another thing that got people's attention and apparently inspired me to write was baseball - or more accurately, my participation in the sport.  Each of the following made some connection to the sport I loved to play (and wish I could still play).

Ever the Observer -  But, it is fair to say that I was ever the observer.  While I was rarely pushing to be first in line to do things and I even more rarely wanted to try something new with any kind of an audience, I picked up far more than most kids by simply watching.  Watching and picking up the lessons that came with observation.

Backing Up First Base - We have all got our tasks that are very much like a right fielder backing up first.  It's not glamorous.  It's rarely recognized.  In fact, it may not seem necessary much of the time.  But, when it is needed, it is needed.  And when it is missing at a time when it is needed, we all notice.

Why Leadership Matters - With no small amount of glee, he told the scorekeeper to award me with an error rather than give a hit to the batter.  The message?  You've done great and I see that - and I know you can do even better!  And I believed it.  

Everyone seems to love it when the critters on the farm take center stage in one fashion or the other.  Would you believe that our poultry encouraged a spoof of Shakespeare - among other things?  And, anytime you can catch a bee midflight in a photo - you have to feature it.

Henlet, A Sililoquy -  

To lay, or not to lay, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the double yolk misfortune

or to add to the farms troubles, by pecking end them.

Turkey Smiles - "Oh look!" I said to myself.  "The turkeys are visiting Crazy Maurice.  I should take a picture of that."

Feeding Workers All Season - You see, the pollinators don't see the world the same way we do.  What looks like a tangled mess to us is a beautiful buffet to some of them.  It's a place that our bumbling human feet and bodies don't go to trample them as they do what they do.

The month even included a look back at one of my all time favorite posts (which I will not link here as it did not technically qualify).  There was a local foods post or two and even a reminder to us all to appreciate where we are - right now.

Impersonal -  Folks, your local farmers are often doing things to show their personal side - and you reward them with the most impersonal and the least useful support you can give - because hitting a "like" button is incredibly easy - and means so very little in the end.  What means more are personal recommendations for a product and, more important, your own patronage.

That's Not Orange -  Quadrato Asti Giallo peppers.  They are an heirloom bell pepper from Italy.  Isn't the name great?!?  You know what it means in Italian?  Quadrato means "square" and Giallo is "yellow."  Let's just stop there and just sound impressive when we say the Italian name!

Around the Bend - Would we remember to look carefully at where we are now and appreciate things like the texture of bark, the smell of leaves and the rustle of sound as a small creature darts around in the brush?  Or will we focus too hard on our destination - the area after we turn that bend in the path?

--------------AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION----------

Thank you for reading!  If you are so inclined - tell me which of these October posts were your favorite.  While you are at it - which of the pictures shown on this blog do you like best?