🌾 🎃 Scarecrow Festival | A Cozy Autumn Story with Small Town Charm

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00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,560
Welcome to The Slow Life.
I'm Jennifer Vino and I create,

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00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:12,010
narrate and design the
soundscape of this village of

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00:00:12,020 --> 00:00:15,770
cosy stories to relax and
unwind.

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00:00:16,820 --> 00:00:20,180
Each week I share an original
story.

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00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:25,310
Read 2 times so you can relax
even more during the second

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reading.
I'm happy to announce my

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website, theslowlife.ca.
It provides a space where we can

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00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,600
connect and I can bring you all
things cozy.

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Let's settle in with some easy
breathing at your own pace.

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00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:53,800
With each inhale, let fresh air
fill the space around your

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00:00:53,810 --> 00:00:58,800
heart.
With each exhale, feel the calm

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00:00:58,810 --> 00:01:04,400
air spread through your body and
flow out through your arms and

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00:01:04,410 --> 00:01:09,030
legs, gently in through your
heart.

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00:01:10,970 --> 00:01:21,500
Gently out through your body, in
through your heart, out through

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00:01:21,510 --> 00:01:27,330
your body.
And now let's begin.

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This story is called Scarecrow
Festival, and it's about uneven

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00:01:36,910 --> 00:01:42,880
works of art, some extra crispy
silliness, and friends along the

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00:01:42,890 --> 00:01:48,950
way.
Most mornings are cool enough

19
00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,510
for a jacket.
Now, though the sun is steady

20
00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:57,060
and bright.
I'm winding my way back into the

21
00:01:57,070 --> 00:02:02,000
heart of the village, through
fields already bare except for

22
00:02:02,010 --> 00:02:08,410
stubble and the odd Bale of hay.
I passed long wooden fences

23
00:02:08,660 --> 00:02:13,590
where crows sit on the posts,
glossy as wet stones on the

24
00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:19,450
beach.
The festival has begun two weeks

25
00:02:19,460 --> 00:02:23,940
of straw figures and other
celebrations of the season.

26
00:02:25,090 --> 00:02:28,300
Before I reached the first
cluster of houses.

27
00:02:28,590 --> 00:02:32,790
I see a shape at the end of the
driveway of the apple orchard.

28
00:02:34,030 --> 00:02:38,920
A figure in a red Plaid shirt,
arms out the head.

29
00:02:38,930 --> 00:02:43,920
A painted pumpkin with one
eyebrow raised as if amused by

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00:02:43,930 --> 00:02:48,520
something in the distance.
This is one of the more

31
00:02:48,530 --> 00:02:52,150
traditional looking ones I'll
see on my walk home.

32
00:02:53,570 --> 00:02:57,220
During the festival.
Everyone is invited to place

33
00:02:57,230 --> 00:03:02,050
their own version of a scarecrow
on their front lawn or steps.

34
00:03:03,260 --> 00:03:07,890
Some are careful works of art,
stitched and posed with

35
00:03:07,900 --> 00:03:12,510
precision.
Others are lumpy and improvised,

36
00:03:12,660 --> 00:03:18,190
but cheerful in their wonkiness.
Along the edge of town.

37
00:03:18,380 --> 00:03:23,330
They stand like a welcoming
committee, straw or gloved hands

38
00:03:23,340 --> 00:03:28,980
raised in greeting.
A gardener in overalls stands by

39
00:03:28,990 --> 00:03:32,390
a shed with a trowel tied to its
hand.

40
00:03:33,230 --> 00:03:36,540
A couple of Fisher folk lean
against a Dory.

41
00:03:37,510 --> 00:03:42,260
A trio is sitting at a card
table with mugs of something

42
00:03:42,270 --> 00:03:46,870
that could be tea, but one never
knows what these characters get

43
00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:53,020
up to while we are not looking.
I reached the sidewalks, which

44
00:03:53,030 --> 00:03:57,700
are busier than usual.
Families, both local and

45
00:03:57,710 --> 00:04:03,300
visiting, moves slowly, pausing
to point things out to take

46
00:04:03,310 --> 00:04:08,080
photos of each other with the
stuffed creations, then deciding

47
00:04:08,090 --> 00:04:14,310
in which direction to go next.
Aside from the scarecrows, there

48
00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:18,089
are smaller hay bales that
people are welcome to sit on,

49
00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:23,610
barrels of dried stocks and
colourful corns setting the

50
00:04:23,620 --> 00:04:29,160
background for the displays.
Pumpkins and gourds, of course,

51
00:04:29,170 --> 00:04:34,910
are plentiful on every lawn.
Lots of houses still host the

52
00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:39,990
classic style of Plaid or
flannel shirts, blue jeans and

53
00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,650
straw hats, but many have
expanded the art.

54
00:04:44,660 --> 00:04:49,270
A famous singer and songwriter
stands with her new fiance,

55
00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:53,420
their faces painted onto thick
canvas fabric.

56
00:04:54,910 --> 00:04:59,500
An unmistakable Oprah stands
with a microphone in hand,

57
00:04:59,790 --> 00:05:01,920
wearing a beautiful purple
dress.

58
00:05:02,710 --> 00:05:08,340
Beside her is a brand new wooden
car painted red, and she's

59
00:05:08,350 --> 00:05:13,390
pointing right at me as I smile
in recognition of the gift she's

60
00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,940
offering me.
Who else will I recognize?

61
00:05:17,950 --> 00:05:22,330
I wonder.
As I walk further on, I see some

62
00:05:22,340 --> 00:05:27,210
popular actors and athletes
either standing in photogenic

63
00:05:27,220 --> 00:05:31,360
poses or in action doing what
they do best.

64
00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:37,470
Each one, traditional or not,
would have taken hours to put

65
00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,020
together.
There's even a committee of

66
00:05:41,030 --> 00:05:46,660
volunteers who make scarecrows
for those who want to partake by

67
00:05:46,670 --> 00:05:51,100
having one on their lawn but
might not have the skills or

68
00:05:51,110 --> 00:05:57,550
equipment to put one together.
I take a detour into the park,

69
00:05:57,700 --> 00:06:01,550
knowing there will be some straw
filled friends there too.

70
00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,890
At the pedestrian entrance
across the walkway, there are

71
00:06:06,900 --> 00:06:12,610
boards painted white, set down
to look like a crosswalk and

72
00:06:12,620 --> 00:06:17,230
strolling almost the length of
them, as in their well known

73
00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:21,040
image are The Beatles, haircuts
and all.

74
00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:27,710
As I do my own stroll through
other streets, circling towards

75
00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:32,250
the square, I'm amazed at how
many figures I need to do a

76
00:06:32,260 --> 00:06:37,480
double take of before realizing
their scarecrows or real people,

77
00:06:38,660 --> 00:06:42,350
especially when folks are among
them taking photos.

78
00:06:43,900 --> 00:06:46,810
They're not all human forms, of
course.

79
00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:51,350
There's the Lion and Toto the
dog with their other friends

80
00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:56,050
from the Wizard of Oz in the
next yard over.

81
00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:01,130
A farmer tends to her cows that
are close to life-size, an

82
00:07:01,140 --> 00:07:07,680
amazing feat of scarecrow skill.
With Halloween coming up on the

83
00:07:07,690 --> 00:07:12,820
tail of the festival, there are
many witches, vampires, and

84
00:07:12,830 --> 00:07:15,500
other spooky characters lurking
about.

85
00:07:17,060 --> 00:07:22,260
I Mosey into the village square,
excited to see what they've come

86
00:07:22,270 --> 00:07:27,390
up with this year.
The first one I spot leans

87
00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:32,490
forward near the doorway of the
bakery, one mitten hand

88
00:07:32,500 --> 00:07:36,460
stretched out with a tray of
pastries that looked

89
00:07:36,470 --> 00:07:41,480
suspiciously blackened.
The expression on its burlap

90
00:07:41,490 --> 00:07:47,400
face is funny, with two uneven
buttons for eyes and a stitched

91
00:07:47,450 --> 00:07:52,210
O of surprise.
A small sign propped against it

92
00:07:52,220 --> 00:07:57,830
reads Make that extra crispy.
It's fun to see the bakery

93
00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:04,100
owners poking fun at themselves.
In front of the library, a

94
00:08:04,110 --> 00:08:08,680
scarecrow stands with a
teetering stack of books rising

95
00:08:08,690 --> 00:08:13,450
well above its head.
I wonder what the books are made

96
00:08:13,460 --> 00:08:18,510
from, glued together titles
written on the fake binding in

97
00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,830
marker or paint.
The bit of breeze makes the

98
00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:27,490
stack sway ever so slightly,
giving the illusion that it

99
00:08:27,500 --> 00:08:31,310
might collapse at any moment,
though I'm sure it won't.

100
00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,850
Some kids stand nearby, counting
how many books are in his

101
00:08:36,860 --> 00:08:41,130
wavering pile, and they try to
figure out whether it would

102
00:08:41,140 --> 00:08:46,470
really be possible to carry so
many near the fountain.

103
00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:52,210
Two others with bags for their
heads share a bench, one with an

104
00:08:52,220 --> 00:08:56,930
accordion stretched across its
lap, the other with stuffed

105
00:08:56,940 --> 00:09:02,910
gloves frozen in applause.
A small speaker tucked beneath

106
00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,730
the bench plays a tune that
drifts throughout the viewers

107
00:09:06,740 --> 00:09:11,110
conversation.
People stopped to listen for a

108
00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:17,030
moment before moving on, the
music not overpowering and

109
00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:23,520
fading behind them.
Outside the cafe, a pair of

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00:09:23,530 --> 00:09:28,800
scarecrows sits beneath the
awning, heads tilted towards one

111
00:09:28,810 --> 00:09:33,060
another.
Between them rests the plate of

112
00:09:33,070 --> 00:09:37,010
fabric muffins.
A few chairs are pulled up

113
00:09:37,020 --> 00:09:41,390
nearby, inviting anyone to sit
and join them.

114
00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:47,570
I stay a bit longer in the
square, taking in the whole

115
00:09:47,580 --> 00:09:53,490
scene, the figures real and
handmade, the slow rhythm of

116
00:09:53,500 --> 00:09:57,170
every one drifting from one
creation to the next.

117
00:09:58,750 --> 00:10:02,310
Ready for lunch now, I turned
towards home.

118
00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:08,180
The scarecrows I pass on my
street feel like old friends on

119
00:10:08,190 --> 00:10:12,940
the walk, having met many times
in the past week or so.

120
00:10:14,090 --> 00:10:19,420
And when I reach my own step, I
find mine just as I left it.

121
00:10:20,050 --> 00:10:26,320
A tartan patterned shirt of
blue-green, white, yellow and

122
00:10:26,330 --> 00:10:32,530
red, gloved hands stuffed with
straw and some extra poking out

123
00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:38,990
hold a pumpkin on her lap and
she smiles at me in thick red

124
00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,490
marker.
Nothing fancy, but still fun and

125
00:10:43,500 --> 00:10:52,010
comforting to come home to
Scarecrow Festival.

126
00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:58,590
Most mornings are cool enough
for a jacket.

127
00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:02,030
Now, though the sun is steady
and bright.

128
00:11:03,650 --> 00:11:07,860
I'm winding my way back into the
heart of the village, through

129
00:11:07,870 --> 00:11:13,370
fields already bare except for
stubble and the odd Bale of hay.

130
00:11:14,670 --> 00:11:19,800
I passed long wooden fences
where crows sit on the posts,

131
00:11:20,070 --> 00:11:22,910
glossy as wet stones on the
beach.

132
00:11:24,260 --> 00:11:30,500
The festival has begun two weeks
of straw figures and other

133
00:11:30,510 --> 00:11:35,530
celebrations of the season.
Before I reached the first

134
00:11:35,540 --> 00:11:39,260
cluster of houses.
I see a shape at the end of the

135
00:11:39,270 --> 00:11:45,280
driveway of the apple orchard.
A figure in a red Plaid shirt,

136
00:11:45,710 --> 00:11:49,560
arms out the head.
A painted pumpkin with one

137
00:11:49,570 --> 00:11:54,440
eyebrow raised as if amused by
something in the distance.

138
00:11:55,820 --> 00:11:59,310
This is one of the more
traditional looking ones I'll

139
00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:03,790
see on my walk home.
During the festival.

140
00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:08,450
Everyone is invited to place
their own version of a scarecrow

141
00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:14,370
on their front lawn or steps.
Some are careful works of art,

142
00:12:14,820 --> 00:12:17,510
stitched and posed with
precision.

143
00:12:18,590 --> 00:12:23,740
Others are lumpy and improvised,
but cheerful in their wonkiness.

144
00:12:25,110 --> 00:12:29,060
Along the edge of town.
They stand like a welcoming

145
00:12:29,070 --> 00:12:33,650
committee, straw or gloved hands
raised in greeting.

146
00:12:35,010 --> 00:12:40,640
A gardener in overalls stands by
a shed with a trowel tied to its

147
00:12:40,650 --> 00:12:44,100
hand.
A couple of Fisher folk lean

148
00:12:44,110 --> 00:12:48,370
against the Dory.
A trio is sitting at a card

149
00:12:48,380 --> 00:12:53,610
table with mugs of something
that could be tea, but one never

150
00:12:53,620 --> 00:12:57,640
knows what these characters get
up to while we're not looking.

151
00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:03,450
I reached the sidewalks, which
are busier than usual.

152
00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:09,790
Families, both local and
visiting, moves slowly, pausing

153
00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:13,970
to point things out to take
photos of each other with the

154
00:13:13,980 --> 00:13:19,070
stuffed creations, then deciding
in which direction to go next.

155
00:13:20,820 --> 00:13:24,850
Aside from the scarecrows, there
are smaller hay bales that

156
00:13:24,860 --> 00:13:30,590
people are welcome to sit on,
barrels of dried stocks and

157
00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:34,430
colourful corns setting the
background for the displays.

158
00:13:35,660 --> 00:13:40,100
Pumpkins and gourds, of course,
are plentiful on every lawn.

159
00:13:41,470 --> 00:13:45,860
Lots of houses still host the
classic style of Plaid or

160
00:13:45,870 --> 00:13:51,040
flannel shirts, blue jeans and
straw hats, but many have

161
00:13:51,050 --> 00:13:55,940
expanded the art.
A famous singer and songwriter

162
00:13:55,950 --> 00:14:00,860
stands with her new fiance,
their faces painted onto thick

163
00:14:00,910 --> 00:14:06,270
canvas fabric.
An unmistakable Oprah stands

164
00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:10,160
with a microphone in hand,
wearing a beautiful purple

165
00:14:10,170 --> 00:14:14,300
dress.
Beside her is a brand new wooden

166
00:14:14,310 --> 00:14:19,680
car painted red, and she's
pointing right at me as I smile

167
00:14:19,690 --> 00:14:23,050
in recognition of the gift she's
offering me.

168
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,440
Who else will I recognize?
I wonder.

169
00:14:27,510 --> 00:14:33,550
As I walk further on, I see some
popular actors and athletes

170
00:14:33,770 --> 00:14:38,960
either standing in photogenic
poses or in action doing what

171
00:14:38,970 --> 00:14:43,970
they do best.
Each one, traditional or not,

172
00:14:44,260 --> 00:14:46,890
would have taken hours to put
together.

173
00:14:48,150 --> 00:14:52,800
There's even a committee of
volunteers who make scarecrows

174
00:14:52,810 --> 00:14:57,800
for those who want to partake by
having one on their lawn but

175
00:14:57,810 --> 00:15:02,220
might not have the skills or
equipment to put one together.

176
00:15:03,730 --> 00:15:08,640
I take a detour into the park,
knowing there will be some straw

177
00:15:08,650 --> 00:15:13,390
filled friends there too.
At the pedestrian entrance

178
00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:18,390
across the walkway, there are
boards painted white, set down

179
00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:23,520
to look like a crosswalk and
strolling almost the length of

180
00:15:23,530 --> 00:15:29,020
them, as in their well known
image are The Beatles, haircuts

181
00:15:29,030 --> 00:15:33,700
and all.
As I do my own stroll through

182
00:15:33,710 --> 00:15:39,000
other streets, circling towards
the square, I'm amazed at how

183
00:15:39,010 --> 00:15:43,840
many figures I need to do a
double take of before realizing

184
00:15:43,850 --> 00:15:49,510
their scarecrows or real people,
especially when folks are among

185
00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:54,870
them taking photos.
They're not all human forms, of

186
00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,950
course.
There's the lion and Toto the

187
00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:03,150
dog with their other friends
from the Wizard of Oz in the

188
00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:07,400
next yard over.
A farmer tends to her cows that

189
00:16:07,410 --> 00:16:12,620
are close to life-size and
amazing feat of scarecrow skill.

190
00:16:14,450 --> 00:16:18,780
With Halloween coming up on the
tail of the festival, there are

191
00:16:18,790 --> 00:16:23,820
many witches, vampires, and
other spooky characters lurking

192
00:16:23,830 --> 00:16:28,710
about.
I Mosey into the village square,

193
00:16:28,750 --> 00:16:32,310
excited to see what they've come
up with this year.

194
00:16:33,910 --> 00:16:38,230
The first one I spot leans
forward near the doorway of the

195
00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:43,500
bakery, one mitted hand
stretched out with a tray of

196
00:16:43,510 --> 00:16:47,000
pastries that looked
suspiciously blackened.

197
00:16:48,010 --> 00:16:53,600
The expression on its burlap
face is funny, with two uneven

198
00:16:53,610 --> 00:16:57,550
buttons for eyes and a stitched
O of surprise.

199
00:16:58,530 --> 00:17:04,190
A small sign propped against it
reads Make that extra crispy.

200
00:17:04,750 --> 00:17:08,980
It's fun to see the bakery
owners poking fun at themselves.

201
00:17:10,609 --> 00:17:14,540
In front of the library, a
scarecrow stands with a

202
00:17:14,550 --> 00:17:18,940
teetering stack of books rising
well above its head.

203
00:17:20,300 --> 00:17:25,150
I wonder what the books are made
from, glued together titles

204
00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,630
written on the fake binding in
marker or paint.

205
00:17:30,010 --> 00:17:34,420
The bit of breeze makes the
stack sway ever so slightly,

206
00:17:34,690 --> 00:17:38,420
giving the illusion that it
might collapse at any moment,

207
00:17:38,610 --> 00:17:44,020
though I'm sure it won't.
Some kids stand nearby, counting

208
00:17:44,030 --> 00:17:48,280
how many books are in his
wavering pile, and they try to

209
00:17:48,290 --> 00:17:52,200
figure out whether it would
really be possible to carry so

210
00:17:52,210 --> 00:17:57,730
many near the fountain.
Two others with bags for their

211
00:17:57,740 --> 00:18:03,050
heads share a bench, one with an
accordion stretched across its

212
00:18:03,060 --> 00:18:08,020
lap, the other with stuffed
gloves frozen in applause.

213
00:18:09,500 --> 00:18:13,700
A small speaker tucked beneath
the bench plays a tune that

214
00:18:13,710 --> 00:18:16,590
drifts throughout the viewers
conversation.

215
00:18:17,830 --> 00:18:23,060
People stopped to listen for a
moment before moving on, the

216
00:18:23,070 --> 00:18:27,320
music not overpowering and
fading behind them.

217
00:18:29,350 --> 00:18:34,320
Outside the cafe, a pair of
scarecrows sits beneath the

218
00:18:34,330 --> 00:18:38,140
awning, heads tilted towards one
another.

219
00:18:39,460 --> 00:18:43,220
Between them rests the plate of
fabric muffins.

220
00:18:43,980 --> 00:18:49,060
A few chairs are pulled up
nearby, inviting anyone to sit

221
00:18:49,190 --> 00:18:53,870
and join them.
I stay a bit longer in the

222
00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:59,440
square, taking in the whole
scene, the figures real and

223
00:18:59,450 --> 00:19:04,140
handmade, the slow rhythm of
every one drifting from one

224
00:19:04,150 --> 00:19:09,910
creation to the next.
Ready for lunch now, I turned

225
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:14,250
towards home.
The scarecrows I pass on my

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street feel like old friends on
the walk, having met many times

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in the past week or so.
And when I reach my own step, I

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find mine just as I left it.
A tartan patterned shirt of

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blue-green, white, yellow and
red, gloved hands stuffed with

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straw and some extra poking out
hold a pumpkin on her lap and

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she smiles at me in thick red
marker.

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Nothing fancy, but still fun and
comforting to come home to.

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I wish you sweet dreams.