When we travel across the country at harvest time, we think of our Nation’s hard-working farmers as we view the results of their hard work and worry. We see acres of farmlands ready to be harvested and we see the celebration of harvest time in pumpkin patches, corn mazes, apples orchards and all things Fall!
Soon, many of us will be sitting at a Thanksgiving table with friends and family. Many will bow their heads in prayer and thank God for all that we have, and for those that we love. Jim and I are thankful for our family, and the friends we’ve made and the people who’ve touched our lives on our journey as tribute performers of John Denver music. We feel that our journey began, not just to perform John Denver music, but also to find the people who enjoy John’s music and message as much as we do. Live music performances bring us a connection to others, and it brings us all together to celebrate the music we love.
As ‘city folk’ Jim and I have our own tiny farm in our backyard. – We have scaled back our gardening quite a bit because of our busy touring schedule, but we still have a few things ‘growing on”. Most of you already know I’m growing cotton, because it grows very well without a lot of attention or fuss. Cotton harvest time starts in the fall, so I am busy with my part of our little farm. The big surprise this year came from our dwarf banana trees. Jim has been tending them for 5 years and has had very little results. Suddenly, this year, the banana trees decided to get with the program and load us down with bunches and bunches of bananas! We’ve been freezing bananas and baking bread as quickly as we can. Plus, our avocado tree gave us a few more avocados than last year. It’s a young tree, and every year it gives us a few more than the previous year. We made guacamole and some amazing avocado chocolate mousse (well, I thought it was amazing….Jim maybe not so much).
Harvest time is the time of year when the growing is done and the cycle is over. The earth will rest when winter comes and the farmers will rest when the harvest is done. Harvest time is the best time to look at your life and see the results in the hard work you’ve put into whatever you do, no matter how big or how small. You don’t need a garden to harvest, all you need is a loving and thankful heart.
Those bananas look amazing! I never knew you could grow bananas in California! I think that avocado chocolate mousse sounds interesting. It has to be good if it has chocolate in it! 😃
Thanks Shirley! Yes bananas in warm climates and mild winters. You are one thousand percent correct about chocolate!
Thanks Shirley! Yes bananas in warm climates and mild winters. You are one thousand percent correct about chocolate!
Hi there! I, too, love November especially our beautiful, colorful city of trees. The reds, yellows, oranges, purples, and greens focus me on celebrating the beginning of a season of thankful Reflections.
I miss you two…always. say hi from me to Brian and Matthew. Love you all! Hugs.
Hi Carol, we miss you so much! You certainly do live in a beautiful city of trees and I’ll bet the colors are gorgeous! The boys all say Hi!!!
Inch by inch row by row. That’s the way you connect with nature and the mysteries and wonder of the cycle of life. Well done!
Hi Carolyn, YOU have the garden of my dreams! Keep on planting, I will catch up with you some day!
It’s finally getting cooler here in Galveston County & that brutal sun goes to bed earlier. Every time Fall arrives I think of two poems I remember from my youth. One is a pleasant reminder of what life may have been like in my grandparent’s time, the other is a sort of spooky one may parents recited when we were small children “maybe to keep us in line”. Here are some links. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqRoyse3eNo Here is another one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z03zt9lriR0
Hi Ray! Thank you for the links, nice reminders of the cooling weather and the harvest. We enjoyed the cooler weather in Texas while we were there a couple of weeks ago – it was just perfect outside and made the trip so much more pleasant.
Hi Ray! Thank you for the links, nice reminders of the cooling weather and the harvest. We enjoyed the cooler weather in Texas while we were there a couple of weeks ago – it was just perfect outside and made the trip so much more pleasant.
Great job love avocado
Just introduced a friend to them this weekend
What a blessing to have a tree that gives them
Hi Diane, yes, a blessing, but our tree is a little stingy. We must learn what it wants so it can give us MORE!
Wow, that’s a lot of bananas. Having lots of bananas frozen and banana bread in the freezer sounds great. The avocado chocolate mousse sounds yummy!
Hi Linda! It was yummy, I should have posted the recipe! Of course, not as good as key-lime pie!
Your harvest is amazing ! I have 1 avocado on my little tree & my dog Rosie the Beagle picked it ! My neighbor gave me 2 off her tree & they never got ripe in the paper bag !!!
Oh NO!!! Rosie don’t do that!!
It’s tricky when to pick avocados – and hard to be patient waiting for them to ripen off the tree! Our tree is about 5 years old and this year we had hundreds of ‘buds’ but only about 10 fruits to eat.
Oh NO!!! Rosie don’t do that!!
It’s tricky when to pick avocados – and hard to be patient waiting for them to ripen off the tree! Our tree is about 5 years old and this year we had hundreds of ‘buds’ but only about 10 fruits to eat.
Hi Anne,
I live in the Inland Empire and tried growing a banana tree about 15 years ago. It would grow and then die back in the winter but pop back up again in warm weather. It did that for about 3 or 4 years but then finally died completely. I should probably try again as the winters don’t seem to be as cold now and the summers hotter. BTW, what variety of avocado are you growing? I don’t think it’s a Haas, maybe a Fuerte or Bacon?
Hi Christina, We purchased a “patio” avocado tree, but we are not sure now. The fruit is full-size. I think the root stock has taken over and we are going to end up with a big tree instead of a dwarf. It doesn’t matter, as long as there is fruit! Lol. The bananas have been interesting…. the first few years they would produce fruit right before winter-it would get colder and the fruit would turn black without plumping or ripening. This last spring, we finally started getting fruit, and the fruit plumped and ripened in the warm summer days. I wonder if the plants acclimated and adjusted our climate…we will see what happens next year. It took about 5 years for all of this, we almost gave up. Once the plant fruits, it dies for good….so you also need to also keep the “pups” growing with the main plant. The main plant will die, but the pups will produce fruit if you let them grow. I can dig up some pups for you if you ever want to try again!
Hi Christina, We purchased a “patio” avocado tree, but we are not sure now. The fruit is full-size. I think the root stock has taken over and we are going to end up with a big tree instead of a dwarf. It doesn’t matter, as long as there is fruit! Lol. The bananas have been interesting…. the first few years they would produce fruit right before winter-it would get colder and the fruit would turn black without plumping or ripening. This last spring, we finally started getting fruit, and the fruit plumped and ripened in the warm summer days. I wonder if the plants acclimated and adjusted our climate…we will see what happens next year. It took about 5 years for all of this, we almost gave up. Once the plant fruits, it dies for good….so you also need to also keep the “pups” growing with the main plant. The main plant will die, but the pups will produce fruit if you let them grow. I can dig up some pups for you if you ever want to try again!
Bringing 2 new friends to see you in Carrollton tomorrow. I first saw you at a concert in Big Canoe, Jasper, Ga. Had the pleasure to escort you and Jim through the maze at the Holly Theater in Dalonega, Ga for the “meet & greet “. That was the 2nd time seeing you there.
See you tomorrow afternoon.
Hi John! We are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and meeting your friends! We miss Dahlonega! Glad you are coming to see us in Carrollton!
We love bananas and see them growing all around us in Hawthorne, along the banks of our streams flowing into Lake Harris when we’re out on the dragon boats paddling past them.
We also, or should I say I love avocado toast, slice of Swiss cheese, tomato on top….scrumptious breakfast or lunch.
Loved reading about your travels, highlights and wish they had found a different type of wind electricity. Those things are awful!
Happy Thanksgiving. The Devlins
Hi Carol! The banana trees in FL are full-sized! We love our little dwarfs I agree about the windmills…we saw 2 trucks of cut-up parts on their way to a landfill somewhere, awful things!
Hi Carol! The banana trees in FL are full-sized! We love our little dwarfs I agree about the windmills…we saw 2 trucks of cut-up parts on their way to a landfill somewhere, awful things!
Hi Carol! The banana trees in FL are full-sized! We love our little dwarfs I agree about the windmills…we saw 2 trucks of cut-up parts on their way to a landfill somewhere, awful things!
Hi Carol! The banana trees in FL are full-sized! We love our little dwarfs I agree about the windmills…we saw 2 trucks of cut-up parts on their way to a landfill somewhere, awful things!
Hi Anne. Great picture of Jim in your backyard with the harvest! The walking onions you gave me are doing very well, along with the other fall crops I’ve got growing. I can’t wait until the onions get to the point where they want to take a “walk”!
Hi Dave, Hi Becky! Glad to hear you have a fall crop growing! Jealous! Enjoy your onions!
Hi Dave, Hi Becky! Glad to hear you have a fall crop growing! Jealous! Enjoy your onions!