Sweet Corn of Indiana
Sweet Corn of Indiana
by Alice Jane-Marie Massa
When the crackle and crispness of autumn come,
when fragrance in the air announces the third season,
I recall my Indiana autumns and think of corn.
Always wanting to decorate with pumpkins and Indian Corn for this season,
once during my pre-teen years,
I decided to grow my own Calico Corn in my dad’s garden.
Although Dad showed me how to plant the corn,
I evidently did not plant the corn deeply enough.
Initially, my ornamental corn–“flint corn” or “calico corn”–
grew quite well.
However, after a particularly hard summer rain,
my strong stalks of corn collapsed–fell onto the clay soil.
I was, figuratively, crushed; but my dad told me not to worry.
He said, “When all dries out, your corn will rise again.”
It did. My faith in my father grew even more.
Much later, shucking those ears of Indian corn, I found inside
the sweet surprise of striking autumn colors
with which to decorate our front porch
to celebrate this richly sensory-filled season of autumn.
* * *
Enjoy some autumnal decorating!
Alice and Leader Dog Willow
October 13, 2021, Wednesday
alice13wordwalk 
Thanks, Alice, for your memories of growing corn in our Indiana garden with Dad’s help and optimism. I think corn is a most amazing plant! From a tiny seed, the plant grows into very tall strong stalks, the sturdy cob is covered with grains of corn, and the soft silks protect the ears. So delicious!
Enjoy some today!
Love to you and Willow,
Mary
Mary–I know your grandchildren are particularly fond of
corn-on-the-cob; however, we know that no corn is better than Indiana corn.
Also, one of Willow’s favorite toys is her plush toy shaped like an
ear of Indiana corn.
Enjoy your book club!
A & W
Alice–So glad you have good memories of gardening with your father. He was right, of course, about the corn rising again after being blown over. This has happened many times in our garden. It has always seemed to me that a garden isn’t really a garden without a few short rows of corn.
Hi, Sue–I am so glad that my “master-gardener” friend can verify my
corn story. I recall having had two complete rows of “ornamental” corn
in my dad’s garden. On a rotating basis, we sometimes had corn growing
in our field which was south of our home and garden and north of our
small woods.
Enjoy this autumnal weekend!
Alice and Willow