When you flip the kitchen calendar over and October is staring you right between the eyes, what’s the first thing you think of? Tell me it’s not pumpkins, followed closely by jack-o-lanterns, witches, and goblins of every imaginable size and shape. If that’s true, let me speculate that you still have plenty of kid left in your genes. And believe it or not, it’s the kid part in you that roars back to life when you’re out by your pond feeling like Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, or Becky Thatcher.
Pull On an Old Sweatshirt
Now even though the temperature has dipped dramatically since July and August, the kid in you wants to pull on an old sweatshirt, go out to the backyard, feed your fish, listen to the waterfalls, and breathe in the aroma of burning leaves wafting in the air. Then you’ll scoop the stuffing out of the pumpkin, cut the eyes, nose, and mouth out, put the candle inside, light it, put the lid on quickly, and stand back to see the magical smile or scowl that has magically appeared in the night air.
Halloween Kicks off the Holiday Season
Realistically Halloween is the official kickoff of the holiday season, with Thanksgiving and Christmas following close behind, and all kids get excited when the holidays roll around, including adult kids like you. If you live in the northern climates, the temperature is creeping low enough to that 55-degree mark when you stop feeding your fish. You may have even pruned back the lilies, cattails, and iris already.
But the waterfall is still flowing freely, and the fish are still roaming from rock to rock, and you think to yourself, “Wouldn’t the pond look great at night, decorated with a handful of creative jack-o-lanterns sitting around it?” It would be very seasonal. It would add lots of fall colors. In a spooky kind of way, it could even be construed as festive, being October and all.
Why Not Pull out All the Stops
And if you’re really in the mood, there’s no need to stop with pumpkins. You could add a scarecrow or two, an old witch on a broomstick, bats in the trees hanging overhead, and you could drape spider webs around the plants as icing on the cake. What the heck, at this time of year a net over the pond to catch the leaves (practicality creeping in here) could work its way into your water gardening décor.
There’s Only One Thing Left to Do
And once you’ve gone to all this trouble, there’s only one thing left to do … have a party. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors. After all they always love to come and gather around the pond, especially at night. And what do you think their reaction will be to the Octoberization of your pond? As you know, having a pond is an enjoyable and creative experience all year round, so long as you learn to dance with Mother Nature and avoid stepping on her toes. And don’t forget, Thanksgiving is right around the corner.