First Frost

Tonight we are expecting our first hard freeze of the season.
Every year I go through this same ritual: pick all vegies close to ripeness, collect green tomatoes large enough to bother with, strip all flower patches of any vase worthy blooms.
My house suddenly becomes alive with season's last bursts of color. If only for a week or two, I can still view bits of warm days soon to be wilted memories of time.

After collecting, I covered my mums and other favorite plants (the lavender) with bed sheets in hopes a little protection will be enough to nurse them through to be enjoyed a couple more weeks. Usually it's 1 or 2 cold days followed by a couple warmer weeks. Seeing all those pretty plants nipped, killed by cold it can't help but tug at sentimental summer zones installed in my heart. Somehow my gathering delays the shock just a little...

My brother had been in the garden earlier in the day. My nose detected a familiar pepper smell; like freshly chopped in a huge bowl for salsa, that's what popped into my mind. I found fresh pulled pepper plants stacked in several piles laid close to where they used to be standing in dirt. No fresh salsa today. All seeds now are ideas for next year's benefit. Farming dreams & plans planted as mental notes only.

Makes me think of frequently neglected human needs. It's always good to take time enough for breathing & recharging personal energy. In my garden, I'm going to dump a large load of manure, barely till it in and give it all winter to mature. I wish it was that easy in my life.

Step 1: cover problem with shit
step 2: mix
step 3: wait a while
step 4: enjoy newly hatched ideas
step 5: watch new problems sprout, repeat with step 1
wait a min....!!!!!

All day a north wind blew it's chill into all available space. I wore insulated coveralls, my bones not yet accustomed to these lower temperatures. Funny, last Monday morning when I got home from Colorado, I was warmed by these lowland winds. How quickly converting takes place as I was able to enjoy those few last days in celebration by adorning my body with my very favorite short sleeve shirts.

Change is always hard. Even watching the weather sparks melancholy flames....

Of all the season choices, I think I like spring & fall the best. Changing is intense, as shown in the immediate color display. Spring green with life, fall oranges with renew. Right now it's time for closing growth spurts to rest & regroup for next year. Older, stronger, matured to be more valuable than before.
Ah, observing life's energy flow.