The mornings are dark and still now. The moon is my guide when I am walking my dogs. The air is cold and crisp; I keep my hands in my pockets. It is that time of year.

Pumpkin Spice time. It is also autumn.

I just came back from the grocery store, and I realized that this may have gone too far after I spotted Pumpkin spice Cheerios.

Many credit the beginning of this craze to Starbucks’s introduction of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (called PSL by aficionados) in 2003. But it has gone way past a simple latte.

The origin of Pumpkin spice is uncertain. It may have been introduced to the West by the Dutch, in a spice blend called “speculaaskruiden” (mixed spice) that was popular in the 1600s. The Europeans were the first to make pumpkin into a pie using cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper, which became the basic ingredients for pumpkin spice. Many recipes also add allspice and ginger. (Despite its origins, the pumpkin spice craze is centered in North America.) 

Food scientists speculate that the reason pumpkin spice is so popular is that the scent evokes nostalgia for the foods of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is associated with warmth, ample food, and family and friends gathering together. 

The marketing genius behind pumpkin spice is keeping it seasonal. Pumpkin spice flavored products are typically only available for a short period of time.

Whatever it is, it has really caught on. I did an Internet search of pumpkin-spiced products and it was frankly eye opening. Are you ready? Amazon has a whole section of pumpkin spiced flavored or scented products. Here is an updated list of products that have pumpkin spiced scents or flavors:

• Alcohol: Ale, Beer, Liqueur, Wine
• Artificial sweeteners
• Baked desserts: Biscotti, Brownies, Cakes, Cupcakes, Dessert bars, Moon pies, Oreos (yes, Oreos!), Pies, Protein bars, Pumpkin cookies, Pumpkin rolls, Pumpkin bars, Twinkies, Waffle cookies
• Baking products: Marshmallows, Pumpkin spice, Peanut butter powder, Sauce (to drizzle on desserts), Syrups
• Bath and body products: Beard Oil, Body scrub, Deodorant, Soap, Skin cream, Toothpaste 
• Breads: Bagels, Pumpkin bread, Rolls
• Breakfast foods: Doughnuts, English muffins, Granola, Granola bars, Instant hot cereals, Muffins, Pancakes, Pop-tarts, Syrup, Waffles
• Caffeine drinks: Coffee, Coffee creamers, Lattes, Teas
• Candies: Candy corn, Caramels, Chewing gum, Chocolates, Jellybeans, Meringues, Peeps
• Cheese
• Cough Drops
• Crackers, Potato chips, Popcorn
• Drinks: Protein Drinks, Pumpkin Spice protein powder (energy drink), Juice
• Ethnic Foods: Empanadas, Tamales
• Flowers: Mums that smell like pumpkins
• Makeup: Chapstick, Face mask, Face cream, Lipstick
• Meals: Broth, Burger, Chicken Sandwich, Macaroni and Cheese, Salmon, Sausage, Spam
• Milk-based desserts: Cheesecake, DQ Pumpkin Blizzard, Flavored milk, Hot cocoa, Ice cream, Milkshakes, Pudding, Yogurt 
• Nuts: Almonds, Peanuts, Pecans, Walnuts
• Pet Products: Dog biscuits, Dog shampoo, Kitty litter, Pumpkin (good for canine digestion) 
• Scented home products: Air fresheners, Candles, Christmas ornaments, Diffusers, Sachets, Spray cleaner, Throw pillows, Trash bags
• Spreads: Caviar, Cream cheese, Hummus, Pumpkin butter, Pumpkin-flavored butter
• And, of course, Cheerios

Pumpkins are good for the immune system. They are high in soluble fiber which slows down how quickly the body absorbs glucose. Pumpkins are rich in beta carotene (which converts to Vitamin A), Vitamin C, and Antioxidants. My acupuncturist recommends pumpkin during the cold and flu season.

Pumpkin is good for dogs with digestive issues, it provides much-needed fiber.

And since we are talking about pumpkins, there are over 150 varieties. I saw a program on local pumpkin growing contests, the world record pumpkin was over 1,469 pounds.

And, of course, there are the beautiful pumpkins that decorate homes, businesses, and yards. The small white pumpkins that we see are mostly Baby Boo pumpkins. The large white pumpkins are creatively called Casper pumpkins. The Blue Doll, Blue Jarrahdale, and Blue Hubbard varieties are those unusual slate blue/gray pumpkins. Then there are the myriads of other decorative pumpkins. No longer simply orange, they come in yellow, blue, white, black, green, pink/coral, gray, brown, striped and multicolored. They are also available in a myriad of shapes, sizes, and mottling. Many of these varieties can be eaten, but most prefer of us their exotic looks.

So don’t be too surprised when you go to the grocery store. While sipping on your pumpkin spiced latte, you may be adding more pumpkin spiced products to your shopping cart.

 

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Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

I attended a lecture about native plants by Mikaela Boley, Principal Agent Associate—Home Horticulture & Master Gardener Coordinator for the University of Maryland—Talbot County. I learned that most of our gardens are populated with non-native plants because that is what our nurseries stock. The obvious question is why select native plants over the readily available non-native plants?

Turns out there are a lot of reasons. First, native plants are usually lower maintenance than non-native plants. Native plants have adapted to the local climate and soil conditions. 

Native plants do not require fertilizer. Once the soil has been prepared and amended as needed (e.g., PH level, compost), native plants need no more. They have adapted to our ecosystem’s soil and can survive off the soil’s available nutrients without the help of fertilizers. Not only do we save time and money, but we eliminate fertilizer which is detrimental to the environment.  

With native plants, pesticides are also unnecessary. Native plants have developed natural defenses against indigenous insects, diseases, and fungi. (Many are still vulnerable to the local fauna such as bunnies and deer.)

Because native plants have adapted to the local climate and weather conditions, they are more likely to survive droughts and other conditions where lawns and non-native gardens struggle. Native plants in dry areas develop deep root systems that allow them to store water for long periods during our frequent droughts.  

Native plants are rarely invasive. I have English ivy and other invasive plants planted by a previous owner, and they are impossible to get rid of.

Planting native plants in troublesome areas prevents nutrient run-off into our waterways. Thanks to their deep root systems, native plants help stabilize and anchor the soil.

Native plants play an important role providing food and shelter for indigenous insects and wildlife. According to Boley, many gardeners build gardens specifically designed for local pollinators. Since our native insects, birds, and other wildlife have co-evolved with our native plant species, our local species depend on them for food sources and habitat. For example, there are specialist butterflies and bees that utilize only one species (or genus) of plant to lay eggs or feed larvae. An example locally is the Monarch butterfly whose caterpillars can only consume milkweed. Some specialist bees pollinate only one species of plant, and without those plants, there are fewer native bees.

I am convinced. I have decided to incorporate native plants into my existing gardens. Now, where to start? First, remember that there is no need to build a garden from scratch. You can add native plants to an existing garden, which is what I am going to do.

Mikaela Boley recommends three steps to building a native garden or adding native plants to an existing garden.

The first step is to identify the purpose of the garden. Do you want an edible garden? A garden that supports local pollinators? A perennial garden that blooms throughout the seasons? A solution to problem areas, such as soggy soil or bare spots? Or do you simply want to reduce your lawn footprint? Let’s face it, lawns are a lot of work; a native garden is a solution to a number of challenges that lawns present.

After you have identified the purpose, the second step is to analyze the soil and area conditions—PH level, type of soil (loam, sandy or clay), amount of sun or shade, level of moisture (is it soggy? dry?), and soil nutrients. There are inexpensive soil tests available locally that identify the PH and the nutrient needs. You can also use the National Resources Conservation Service to find typical soil at your location.

The final step is to choose native plants based on the purpose and conditions that have been identified in the previous two steps. Native plants are defined as plants that existed locally in pre-colonial times. 

There are a number of sources available to identify the local native plants on the Eastern Shore. There is a list of 417 local plants at https://www.allianceforthebay.org/plants/. Another online site for native plants (which includes soil and area recommendations) is the USFWS (US Fish and Wildlife Service) Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat & Conservation Landscaping. 

All of these sources provide plants native to the Eastern Shore. For those interested in other geographical areas, a Google search will help you find the types of native plants in your area.

Finding the actual plants is usually not as simple as going to the local nursery. On the Eastern Shore—the Atkins Arboretum, Environmental Concern, and some commercial nurseries carry them. They can also be ordered online.

Fall is a good time for planting, but you can also spend the winter planning your new environmentally friendly garden. 

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Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

Working in a corporation is like being in middle school. Corporations bring out the worst in people. In an effort to get ahead, some employees take credit for others’ work, sabotage coworkers, and treat their colleagues harshly., while demonstrating different behavior to their bosses. Surviving in corporate America while keeping my own integrity required sacrifice, confidence, and a strong will. 

While working in this environment, I discovered a book that guided me through the morass and has helped me throughout life. The book is called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. He claims that it is based on ancient Toltec wisdom.

In his book, he lists four principles or agreements. The first agreement is Be Impeccable with Your Word. Following this principle means that we speak with integrity, meaning that we don’t lie or gossip. By doing this, we can “own” what we do and become role models for others. 

The second principle is Don’t Take Anything Personally. What others say or do is a projection of their reality, not ours. This is one of the hardest things to understand, because we believe that others think like we do. But praise or criticism is about what the speaker values. Let me give you an example. 

I had a boss who was notorious for berating us during presentations, the larger the audience, the nastier the behavior. One of my colleagues was making a presentation to a large group, and our boss interrupted her repeatedly, heckling her.

Despite our boss’s attempts to intimidate and embarrass her, she remained calm and patiently asked for clarification. This boss brought everyone to tears, myself included. 

After the presentation, I went over to console my colleague. But she didn’t need consoling. She asked me, “Do you think that the other people in the room thought I was stupid or that our boss was mean?”

“Obviously, they thought that our boss was mean.” I responded. “But what about all the criticism,” I continued. “You worked so hard on that presentation; you even took notes when she spewed her vitriol.”

“Of course,” she replied. “Our boss wasn’t pleased, so I needed to change the presentation.”

“But your presentation was good,” I replied.

“I was satisfied with it,” she said.

“But didn’t the criticisms, hurt?” 

“Oh no,” she replied. “Both praise and criticism are about the person giving it. Her criticism or praise for that matter was about what she valued.”

“Let me give you an example,” she continued. “What if someone told you that they love your hair. It doesn’t mean that you have good hair. It means that you have hair that that person values. There is no objective measure of hair…just perceptions. The same goes with criticism. If that person didn’t like your hair, it is because she doesn’t like that kind of hair. It has nothing to do with your hair.”

Praise is wonderful and those who give it are saying “We value the same things.” I believe that praise givers are confident, happy people. To keep our integrity, I recommend praising as often and as much as possible. 

Criticism, however, is hard to take unless we are confident and believe that we did our best.

The third agreement is Don’t Make Assumptions. It goes without saying that all of us make assumptions and create stories frequently. Our assumptions are based on our experiences and not on the other’s experience. For example, what if I waved to someone and they didn’t wave back. The only information that I have is that person didn’t wave back. From there I make assumptions, “that person didn’t see me,” “that person doesn’t like me,” “that person broke her arm.” All of these are stories that we “jumped” to. When an employee would come to me about an issue, the first thing that I asked him was to separate the facts from the story. 

Do your Best. As long as you do your best, you can be immune from criticism. Your best may not be good enough for someone, but it is your best, and you maintain your integrity by doing so. Your best will change, I cannot walk as quickly as I used to, but as long as I do the best that I can, I can feel good about what I have accomplished.

Pretty simple stuff, but extremely powerful.

People often ask me where I get my inspiration for my columns, and while there are many sources, most often it is nature. 

I wander along the St Michaels nature trail several times a day. It offers a quiet place to reflect. But my favorite time is the pre-dawn darkness, in the stillness when I can listen to the hoot of an owl, the trilling of a racoon, and the rhythm of the cicadas.

For those who get refreshed by waterscapes, the Eastern Shore is the place to be. Some love the power and vastness of the pulsing, booming ocean and the sting of salt air on the coast. While others prefer the phalanx of rivers and creeks that softly weave through the forests and lands in the midshore. 

Being in nature is linked to a positive outlook, a greater sense of happiness, and overall improved sense of well-being. Nature encourages us to be present and focus on the sensory details of our surroundings, fostering a sense of grounding. It closes the “worry folder” in our brain.

“Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you…while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” John Muir

Nature is not just inspirational; it is also healing. Medicine has traditionally relied on the healing power of nature, Hippocrates said “Nature itself is the best physician.” 

Thoreau also instinctively knew about the healing power of nature. “All nature is doing her best each moment to make us well—she exists for no other end. Do not resist her.”

But it took a while for scientists to confirm what our bodies already knew. Nature is a place to go to heal and rebuild. Scientific research has proven that being in nature just 30 minutes a day lowers stress, blood pressure, and heart rate. It also improves the immune system, even reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. Walking in nature increases our creativity, problem solving ability, memory, and may mitigate some symptoms of early Alzheimer’s.

Environmental psychologists demonstrated that watching nature with a sense of awe brings out the better angels of our nature. We are less entitled, less selfish, more generous, and more empathic when we connect to the natural world.

Nature is especially beneficial for those who are experiencing grief. Being in nature lowers heart rate and blood pressure associated with grief and anxiety. It also lowers cortisol, a key stress hormone, which helps in calming the mind and body. Spending time outdoors, even without vigorous exercise, can help regulate the sleep cycle, which is significantly interrupted by grief. Nature provides a refuge from the immediate emotional turmoil of grief, allowing for a connection to a calmer, quieter world and a greater sense of peace. A walk in nature interrupts the grief cycle by reducing rumination, allowing us to temporarily break the cycles of negative or grief-related thoughts.

Nature also offers symptomatic relief from depression, anxiety, and attention disorders. 

But how does a simple walk among green landscapes, water, and trees change our bodies and our brains? It has been suggested that the air near moving water, forests, and mountains contains high levels of negative ions which may be responsible for body and brain changes. Brain activity changes after exposure to nature.

Scientists have discovered that inhaling aromatic compounds from plants and trees (called phytoncides) increases our body’s production of natural killer (NK) cells, a vital immune system weapon against viruses and nefarious cells.

Science is limited by what it can measure. Humans are limited by our five senses. Nature has no such constraints. History has taught us that what we know is not all that there is. It is logical to believe that there are energies that we cannot measure, spectrums we cannot see, and vibrations we cannot hear. Nature has invisible rhythms that do not need to be measured or dissected, just experienced. 

I believe that Rachel Carson had a deep understanding of nature’s benefits. “There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” 

So, it is easy to be so inspired by nature, not just for me but for so many others.

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Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

While I was driving last week, I had to pull over. I saw my first murmuration of autumn. 

Murmurations are the patterns that birds create when they gather en-mass and build fluid, rapidly shifting shapes. They are spectacular coordinated flight patterns of birds moving as one large, shape-shifting cloud. Murmurations consist of hundreds—sometimes thousands—of birds flying together in three-dimensional, ever-morphing patterns. 

I wrote a column about these murmurations last year, but I am so captivated by them that I had to do more research. Scientists and birders are equally fascinated by murmurations. They have documented murmurations lasting as long as 45 minutes.

European starlings and African Queleas are known for murmurations. Other birds fly in flocks and formations, but do not murmurate. Flocks are groups of birds that congregate and fly in patterns, such as the “V” formation of geese, but they do not create the fluid patterns of a murmuration. On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, you can see European starlings, red-winged blackbirds, and common grackles performing some form of murmuration. They tend to gather over open fields of harvested grain and are especially prevalent at dusk.

European starlings are well suited for this spectacle because their lateral eyesight enables them to have almost a 360-degree field of vision. In spring and summer, starlings pair off and raise their young. But when breeding season is over they gather in autumn and begin their murmurations. Incidentally, the European starling is not native to the Americas, but approximately 100 were brought from Europe in the 1890s and released in New York’s Central Park. Now there are over 200 million in North America.

While I watched the murmuration, it appeared as if the birds were gathering into a dense mass and then scattering. They seemed to speed up and then spread wider apart. But these are optical illusions. The birds are, in fact, flying at a steady speed, playing “follow the leader” by copying the behavior of the nearest bird in their group of seven. 

The rules to achieve a murmuration are surprisingly simple. The first is the rule of SEVEN. Murmurating birds follow their seven closest neighbors. 

Here are the rules birds use to create a murmuration.

1. Follow and turn with the seven nearest birds. They play “follow the leader.”
2. Fly toward their group, without crowding.

Why do birds murmurate? Scientists don’t know. Some believe that they do it to confuse predators, a recently disproven hypothesis was that they did it to generate heat, because it is typically done in the fall and winter. Some ornithologists speculate that they might do it just for the joy of moving together. I have seen animals, such as squirrels, play. There is no reason not to believe that birds create their performance art for the fun of it.

So, we aren’t sure why they do it, but their synchronicity is magnificent, their dotted patterns unpredictable. It looks like fun. So, maybe they are doing it just for the sheer joy of creating performance art. 

I don’t know how we could find out, but it doesn’t matter to me…I just love their art.

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Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.