Harvest Pot Luck

I know this conclusion post is coming a little late…..hard to believe our Pot Luck was just about a month ago! We had over 100 guests enjoying supper and conversation. Marini Farm in Ipswich generously donated pumpkins for our centerpieces and for kids to decorate, and the space for this event (Coolidge Hall) was provided by the Topsfield Fair. We wanted to share some pictures with you:

As you can see, our supper was very well-attended and we had more food than we knew what to do with….

The evening ended with a wonderful, energetic performance by The Blues Brothers Next Generation featuring Soulhouse 7:

At the end of their set, the band invited Jackie up on stage to present her with the right outfit to make her an honorary Blues Brother (Blues Sister?)

Thank you so much to everyone who attended for your enthusiasm and delicious food, and to everyone who participated in A Book Grows in Topsfield!

Un-gardening the garden

This past Saturday, Jackie and other staff members “un-gardened” our little garden, taking down the fence, pulling up and potting the remaining herbs, relocating our still-nameless scarecrow….by the next day, late-fall leaves had drifted over the garden’s footprint, and it almost looked like it had never been there at all.  Absentmindedly, yesterday I found myself cutting across the side lawn to the library’s front door, almost tripping over a celery stalk, one of the few that is still in the ground, and I realized I was standing in the middle of what had been our beautiful garden.

Thank you to everyone who gave support and encouraging words for this garden, and to everyone who helped us plant it back in June.  The garden was a labor of love and while we’re not sure if it will return next year, I think we can declare this year a success.