Savoring fall and Scarecrows in the Garden

How do you savor fall? We like to savor each season and experience the best aspects of each one –and now it’s fall in all its glory. Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” So we took his advice and went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen to see the many things going on there and enjoy some fall color.
We found out that the Arboretum is featuring Scarecrows in the Garden, which runs through October 31st. We couldn’t resist looking into the history of scarecrows. Did you know that scarecrows first originated about 3,000 years ago when Egyptians used them to guard their crops by the Nile? About five hundred years later the Greeks used carved wooden scarecrows to guard their vineyards against birds. The Romans also used scarecrows and the idea of these guardians of the field also spread to Japan, then to Europe and the United States.
Doug suggested that Norway really had the answer to keeping things out of the garden. When I asked what that was, he suggested that “a lutefisk scarecrow would certainly do it.” No offense meant to other lutefisk lovers but I certainly hope he doesn’t create that scarecrow for next year!
We went to the Scarecrows in the Garden exhibit where we enjoyed seeing many different types of scarecrows – from small ones to really tall ones. There’s a variety of wildly artistic creations to savor. Young and old alike will be delighted and we encourage you to go see them before Scarecrows in the Garden closes. For a glimpse of the exhibit, go to the link at the end of this article to watch the related video.
Now, we wonder what you savor about fall. If you need some ideas, we’ll share what we savor. We enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of fall. Sights include the oranges, reds and golds of the leaves set against the amazing, blue October sky. We also enjoy seeing the many fall flowers and grasses. Some sounds we savor are leaves rustling and the sounds of excited cheering and bands playing at football games. Then there are smells of the earth, leaves and bonfires. The feelings we savor are nature walks, warm days, cool nights and in the evening wrapping up in a soft, cozy afghan and sipping a cup of hot apple cider.
We talked to some people at the Arboretum to find out what they had to say about savoring fall. We met Rita LaChapelle from Chanhassen and her daughter, Jeanna Christiansen, from Victoria. Rita greatly appreciates that, for Mother’s Day this year, Jeanna got her the gift of a membership to the Arboretum. They have wonderful memories of when the children were little and the family did cross-country skiing together at the Arboretum. Now Rita and Jeanna are helping professionals. Rita is a nurse who retired from the University of Minnesota and presently works part-time nursing at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia. Jeanna is an MRI tech there. After work, they decided to take a walk together at the Arboretum. We’re sure that after working in healthcare, a walk in nature can be quite rejuvenating.
We asked each of them what they savor about fall. Rita shared, “It’s so pretty this time of year. The leaves are so colorful. The air is crisp. It’s not too hot to go walking or hiking through the woods. The flowers are pretty. It’s just a peaceful time.”
Jeanna, who’s also a certified herbalist, added, “I just love nature in general and, in the fall, things are starting to calm down and quiet down. The flowers are starting to go but the leaves on the trees are starting to show their vibrant colors.” Jeanna’s comment points to what Albert Camus, author and philosopher, said, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
Here’s a challenge: We, and the people we interviewed, gave some ideas about savoring fall. If you take some pictures and videos they will help you to remember and relive the beautiful fall scenery and fun times. We encourage you to use these ideas and others that you think of to savor fall. We enjoyed savoring fall and Scarecrows in the Garden. The Arboretum has many special events and just being there enjoying nature is a special event. So, we hope you will take time to really savor and make fall special with many happy memories to cherish for years to come.

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2017 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.