Thanksgiving

When dinner is over and the dishwasher hums in the background, the adults linger at the table, telling stories of work and children, new houses and old friends.

Later the men retire to the porch with cigars, white smoke rising like steam in the cold clear air. The women sit in the glow of lamplight in the living room, talking about wedding plans and family.

Scents linger in the kitchen, where turkey bones simmer with carrots, onions and spices to make broth for soup.

As the shadows lengthen, memories of times gone by linger beneath the surface.

I miss you sometimes.

What the hey.

Late bloomer

The climbing aster is the last to bloom and some years the flowers will linger until Thanksgiving. This year, a few flowers remain to wish you a very happy birthday.

May God bless you and keep you near his heart in your eightieth year.

Sparkle

As my hair became streaked with gray, my eyebrows paled until they disappeared.

At the makeup counter at CVS, I chose the "Light Blond" shade of eyebrow pencil. It gave my eyes a little sparkle.

That first week at work, no one said anything. On Friday, I met my daughter for lunch. She looked at me, "You want to be an old lady with painted eyebrows?"

Here are some color changes that look more natural.

Oxydendron arboreum

This sourwood tree was an online purchase from Woodlanders in Aiken, SC. It arrived only 6 inches tall. In summer, the blooms are like lilies of the valley. In autumn, the warm and rich colors can be seen from a distance.

Ptelea trifoliata

I also ordered this wafer ash from Woodlanders. I have never seen any wafers on it but I enjoy the gold tones in the sunlight.

Cornus florida

I bought this dogwood tree at a local garden shop in autumn and asked the owner for a white one to bring out the purple tones in the Japanese maple behind it. That first spring it bloomed a deep pink color. Both the spring and autumn colors clash with purple maple, but it is still a beautiful tree.

Killing frost

Temperatures dipped into the 20's for the first time this week. After a long season of foliage, flowers and fruit, the garden looks old and sad. The impatiens, which tried to take over the garden this autumn, now lie limp and flacid on their beds, cowed by the power of cold.

The pentas stand stiffly in place, gray leaves against the stems. These annuals will be dispatched to the compost heap, where they can mingle with oak leaves, heating up, breaking down and later building up the soil for a new season.

Perennials like Saliva Miss Huff and Hosta Francis Williams are still alive, lying underground in a dark and soundless place. When the sun calls to them in the spring, Miss Huff and Frances Williams will live again.

Fifty

The rich and fruitful pleasures of a mature garden are as satisfying as fine wine. Layers of trees and shrubs, perennials and groundcovers mix and meld into a delicious creation that only improves over time.

Happy birthday to you. My happiest moments have been after age 50. I am wishing you those same sweet and savory satisfactions.