Frost on the Pumpkin


Have you ever walked away from the perfect garden picture without realizing it? I almost did last weekend when we had air temperatures above 32°F and ground temperatures below 32°F. As mist fell, it condensed onto the pumpkins that I hadn’t gotten around to removing from the porch steps.

Initially, there was just a faint film. But as the sun set and temperatures continued to drop, sparkling crystals began to form. By 9:00pm, all four pumpkins were completely covered, as if set with crystalline gemstones.

I walked past this perfect picture several times before it finally dawned on me that this was the first time I had seen something like this in the thirty-odd years I’ve lived here. How soon was I likely to see it again?

Unfortunately, this was not the moment to learn how to take a time exposure in the dark, so the flash had to do.

Lessons learned: We can’t be too tired, too cold, or too anything else not to run and get the camera and snap when the opportunity presents itself. We might not get another chance.

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