Low 57 F
Summer has slipped away, and I hardly noticed, what with all that getting the kids ready to go back to school and all that the resumption of school entail. But now, finally, the rain has returned, the air has cooled, and quiet has again descended on Casa Squirrelhaven and environs. I have the time now to look at the garden, where I find foliage and berries already showing autumnal tints. The flowers of summer are making way for those of autumn. When the rain stops, the lawn will need to be raked for the first time. The final scene is set for the garden, and I look forward to the dramatic finish.
24 comments:
Fall has started in your garden with a bang if you need to rake leaves already. I'm seeing random autumn leaves occasionally on the lawn but no raking required yet.
It's always sad when summer ends. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to be without seasons - they make a welcome change.
/Katarina
I love this time of year ... once the temps drop below 90 on a regular basis, I know we have at least 6 months of reasonable temperatures ahead of us! We had just a touch of fall today, thanks to some cooler, drier air. I'm savoring it all the more since I know it's not here to stay!
Me too. I look forward to leaving the heat behind and welcoming a season of rest. I've been busy though changing out to fall arrangements and planting new trees.
We'll leave the dramatic finishes to you, MMD - we'll get very little fall color here and the leaves usually drop in December.
I'll bet your Asters are gearing up for a spectacular Michaelmas show.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
We still have a bit of summer left in our neck of the woods, but I am looking forward to the autumn breezes and foliage. An amazing thing about garden blogging, visions of fall can happen several times a year. we get the sequence form north to south.
Autumn did kind of sneak up on us. But I do love the fall colors and the crisp autumn days. Are you getting this glorious rain? :0
It does feel more like fall today--a welcome drop in temperature and finally...some rain!
You were waxing poetic today, MMD. Excellent reflective post. I know what you mean, though. Summer has really slipped by and it feels like Autumn is really on its way. How's your landscaping going? I have a few things I need to do, yet... "Autumnal things." ;-) (Hopefully not raking quite yet, though!)
Hi MMD,
Ok, I'll agree that summer has sneakily slipped away a bit, but seriously, the fat flower hasn't sung her final aria yet! So, I'm refusing to acknowledge the inevitable just yet, but September can be a spectacular month in the garden nonetheless!
Oh, and wouldn't you know ... my pathetic suffering peppers are now looking perky and starting to bloom again? Go figure ... it was a weird spring/summer here, eh?
Well, you know what they say: time flies when you're having fun. ;-) You're right though, summer has gone very quickly and over here we haven't had much of a summer with all that rain. Autumn is definitely on its way!
Have a great weekend!
What a lovely, gentle photo.
Lucy
Hi MMD, I like to picture you reflecting on life with rake in hand. Such a philosophical daughter you are. One of the best things about fall is the quality of the light, lower in the sky. It backlights the leaves as they turn and makes the whole garden seem full of magic. That reminds me, there are some birch leaves to deal with.
Hello MMD, beautifully written! Still after all these years, fall rains mean school! My sensory memories almost always take me to the first days of college (Mizzou) and looking out the window at the rain.
Soon we shall all have the beginnings of some good leaf mulch!
Gail
My favorite time of year. Cool weather, clear air, low humidity. Also the best time for photographs.
Marnie
PGL - it's the danged Cottonwood. It always starts dropping leaves around the end of August. At least I'm not out at Thanksgiving picking up those leaves.
Katarina - as much as I complain about winter, I do enjoy living in a climate that has the change of seasons.
Cindy - prime gardening season is just about to start for you poor swelting Southerners. It's almost like we're in different hemispheres.
FGG - season of rest? Not around here. Aside from planting there is the nearly nonstop task of leaf pickup pretty much til it snows. Some years I don't get them all up in time.
Annie - the Asters are either starting or in bud. I love them, even if they signal the end of the gardening season.
Dave - it's kind of like the blooming of the Daffodils from South to North too.
Beckie- I know the official stats say we got about 2", but I swear it's more like 3". The rain seems to be trying to make up for its absence in August.
Rose - I had to run out to the store to buy pants for the boy. After wearing shorts all summer, he's discovered that his pants are all floods. If we didn't go from 90 to 60 in 3 days I wouldn't have to make the dash.
Shady - cooler temps & softer ground will definitely aid in my landscaping tasks.
IVG - so, is Kopper King the "fat flower"? I am unable to fathom the mysterious ways of Peppers. There must be a Pepper expert somewhere who can explain it.
Yolanda Elizabet - so you took all my August rain! I wondered where it went. This was actually a fairly cool summer as our summers go. If it hadn't been for the danged mosquitoes, it would have been about perfect.
Lucy Corrander - thanks! I was wandering around the woodland garden when I spied the first fallen leaves of autumn, so I had to snap the photo.
Frances - I'm usually singing with a raking in my hand. (Yes, using it like a microphone doing my Aretha imitation.) I agree that the light & the colors of autumn are so photogenic. I just love looking at red or yellow leaves against a deep blue sky.
Gail - how funny that you equate fall rain with school. Fall rain to me always means hot tea and curling up with a book and an afgan (or maybe a Borzoi). My leaf mold pile is much diminished and ready for the yearly addition.
Marnie - I am in complete agreement with you, except that in autumn we have to deal with the Yellow Jackets, while they aren't around to spoil picnics in spring.
Here it's still hot and summery - but there's a definite change in the quality of the air. And plants are starting to say "OK, that's enough". But the autumn is beautiful too. I just wish we could skip winter ...
I'm hoping that it will be a dramatic finish to the garden this fall... the fall color here last year was a little bit of a bust--at least, compared to the year before. :)
By the way, great job on the Labor Day weekend work. I know that twine and such can live on in the tree root systems if not taken off at planting time... but it still amazes me every time I see it.
Autumn is in the air, but I'm not giving up on summer yet!
Sue Swift - I find that repeating frequently "We wouldn't appreciate spring without winter" helps a lot.
Blackswamp Girl - last year's fall color was lame. We deserve good color this year. We yanked out another Yew yesterday & not surprisingly, it also had the twine on it.
Hi, Happymouffetard, thanks for visiting! I don't blame you for not wanting to give up on summer. I gather you haven't had much of one. Maybe autumn will be warm & sunny in your neck of woods. Naw, who am I kidding?
When we see the first school bus...I know that fall is here. I have been doing some fall chores today in my yard. I noticed some yellow leaves in the woods.
I started a new class yesterday....have to be like the kids, even though I'm 70. We are going to be doing watercolors with leaf prints next week.
Soon enough we'll need jackets, won't we? But the end is on its way, you can feel it in the breeze...
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Balisha - you're never too old to keep learning new things. Maybe when I'm your age, I'll have time to take a watercolor class too. Sounds like fun.
Carol - actually, we need jackets right now! It's only in the 40s this morning. Wasn't it in the 90s last week?
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