Why would anyone commit to writing a blog post a day for the whole month of November, as I’ve just done for NaBloPoMo, the blogging equivalent of NaNoWriMo AKA National Novel Writing Month. A garden blog post. In November? November! When nothing of note is happening in any garden in the northern Northern Hemisphere. A post a day, and I can’t miss one. Not one. I must be out of my blogging little mind.

As anyone who had to memorize this little poem by Thomas Hood knows, November is, shall we say, off-season in the garden…

November

by Thomas Hood

No sun–no moon!
No morn–no noon!
No dawn–no dusk–no proper time of day–
No sky–no earthly view–
No distance looking blue–

No road–no street–
No “t’other side the way”–
No end to any Row–
No indications where the Crescents go–

No top to any steeple–
No recognitions of familiar people–
No courtesies for showing ’em–
No knowing ’em!

No mail–no post–
No news from any foreign coast–
No park–no ring–no afternoon gentility–
No company–no nobility–

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member–
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!

The challenge runs all year, but November’s the main event. And it starts tomorrow. There’s still time to register, yourself. Thanks (I think) to VP of Veg Plotting for the heads-up. Come on, all you crazies in the blogosphere. Lubricate your blogging muscles, and let’s get Blo-ing!