
you didn’t plan for
winter’s ice fog descending
yet look – lace decor
lace decor by Angie Quantrell
Winter 2026, Yakima Valley
by Angie 12 Comments

you didn’t plan for
winter’s ice fog descending
yet look – lace decor
lace decor by Angie Quantrell
Winter 2026, Yakima Valley


Grayland Beach, WA
by Angie 4 Comments

orange on green surprise
heart shows garden trick, fall joy
love me some pumpkins
pumpkin heart by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
by Angie 7 Comments

Like last year, the “new seeds” portion of the pumpkin crop was off to a slow start. I repeatedly replanted several sections of the various garden areas I have. Not to great results.

BUT the “toss out some old pumpkins and let them rot and self-seed” portion of the crop performed with glee! Pumpkin glee!

Keep reading to find how many pumpkins were harvested in 2025!

Especially productive was the raised bed we have way out in the pasture. That’s where I left several pumpkins from 2024: a white one my son surprised me with after a trip to a pumpkin farm stand, a smaller orange one, and one of those tiny pumpkins. They rested in the bed over winter and sprouted early. Hundreds of sprouts. I had to rip out handfuls to give room to the rest. By pumpkin harvest day, the spread was huge! We actually had to curb the growth as it headed over to the horse pasture (not ours) next door. It took many hours to harvest them. And then more moving them, ripping out the vines, stepping gently to find any lost ones.

Also productive were the tiny pumpkins planted (but also I left some from 2024, so it’s a toss-up which ones actually sprouted) in the sunflower forest bed. I love these, because they vine and grow up. We had them climbing pumpkins, shrubbery, and some of the pine tree (which began as a twig with roots from the Arbor Day Foundation, and is slowly taking over said sunflower forest and patio). I love discovering where these cuties show up.

I had some muscle to help haul in the heavy wheelbarrows!

We even ended up with a wagon of rejects (partially eaten) for the animal farm on the other side of the pasture.

Plus 40 in the trunk to go to church for a potluck!
Finally, here are the 2025 pumpkin harvest totals! Drum roll please . . .

White pumpkins: 17
Tiny pumpkins: 67
Orange pumpkins: 158
For an amazing grand total of 242 PUMPKINS!
So thankful for a wonderful harvest! Can’t wait until next year!
Just for fun, check out totals from last year here.

Yakima Valley

as I walked one day-
random sunbathing surprise
beach time mystery!
dog toy? picnic side?
fallen barbecue baked dish?
couch beach potato
beach time mystery by Angie Quantrell
Grayland Beach State Park, WA
by Angie 6 Comments

PEEK-A-BOOK HAIKU a lift-the-flap book
Written by Danna Smith
Illustrated by Teagan White
Little Simon (2023)
This adorable board book has it all: board book quality, gorgeous illustrations, perfect little nature-based haiku poems, lift-the-flaps (always a favorite with the young crowd), hide-and-seek animals. PEEK-BOO-HAIKU is written across the seasons, so add that to its charm and discussion possibilities.
I love to write haiku, and Danna is one of the best haiku writers I’ve had to pleasure to interact with. I’ve admired many of her books. PEEK-A-BOO HAIKU is now one of my mentor texts.

PEEK-A-BOO HAIKU will make a wonderful gift for my almost 11-month-old granddaughter. IF I can give it away. Or maybe she gets her own copy.
Haiku + animals + nature + lifting flaps + hide-and-seek + seasons + board book + illustrations. Keeper!


Lake Crescent, Olympic Peninsula
by Angie 4 Comments

come fall, my breath eases
garden chores relax
cozy becomes theme of the day
sweaters resurface from storage
colors vibrate with final goodbyes
crisp air invigorates
dew dampens pant hems and ankles
caws and honks sing seasonal music
rustles dance through dried sunflowers
zinnias fade and go to seed
pumpkins dangle from spent vines
birds fatten, cats fluff, people bundle
tea and scarves and throws
beckon me to breathe,
embrace
all that is autumn
come fall by Angie Quantrell