There won’t be too many more days like today this year. Miss Belle took advantage of an open window to lay in the sill and smell more outside smells, and hear more sounds. I took advantage of it to begin to dismantle some parts of the garden; always sad days for me.
Two tomato plants were done producing so I took them down, along with their trellises and garden wire holding them up. Two more still have a chance to ripen some that are on the plants, so they can wait a bit. Hot and sweet peppers are still ok and we’re picking and eating them. Hopi lima beans still have a lot of pods developing so they stay for a while too.
Our robins have been gone for about a month, but if I’m lucky sometimes I get to see groups of them from further north, migrating thru here. A few days ago there were 8 or so out on the patio, taking a rest, a bath, and getting some bugs in the grass. It was so unusual to see 3 in the birdbath at one time, cos they don’t usually share. But migration is serious business and they need to make quick stops and get on the way. Not the best picture, but I snapped it quick since I’ve never seen this before.
It was a good gardening year, despite new challenges, and there are new ones every year. It was too hot, and too dry. Nothing got as big as the same kinds of things did other years but plants still produced well, with lots of watering from the garden hose. We’ve eaten a lot of things and I have dried and frozen a lot of good things for later.
It doesn’t hurt to look for any help you can when you’re gardening, and although I’m not Buddhist, there is always a run of Tibetan prayer flags in the garden. You are supposed to let the flags hang up until the prayers on them have gone away in the weather, and these prayers are mostly gone. It’s just a tradition, but one that I like.
Fall comes, and winter will follow. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Our country is in chaos and the whole world is as well, with the virus and climate change looming over us every day. I’m getting old, but hopefully next year I can grow another garden, with tomatoes and beans and peppers and prayer flags. This winter will not be fun to get thru, for so many reasons. But on we go, and I ramble along. All the best to my readers. Be safe and well.
Sarasin's thoughts....... 
Already? We did not get enough summer. Well, I was away for part of it. A bit or rain would be nice about now. Actually, quite a bit would be nice to rinse away some of the ash. Yuck. Fire season continues for a while, or until the rain starts.
Yea, already. The last 6 months have seemed surreal for several reasons, not getting to do any of the fun stuff I always did in the summer. Little trips, one big trip, visits to the wildlife preserve with my kids. But we’re not on fire like your areas, or flooded like some parts of the south, so I’m thankful for all that. I hope your rains can start soon, and no mud slides after that. My aunt in Tucson Is still waiting for their summer monsoon……surreal, many things. Be safe and well.
Sir Albert must think this is all so trivial. He would not be bothered by fire or flood or rain. A mudslide might be a problem.
We’re up high here so flood won’t ever be a problem. I think he’d be very afraid of fire. He just starts to get nervous in the fall, hoping I remember where I put his hat. I do…. 😉
Oh, the hat! . . . It makes him look so . . . well, you know . . . distinguished.
I thought you thought he always just looked creepy. That’s the first you ever called him distinguished. I’ll tell him you said that. 🙂
‘Distinguished’ is a polite way of saying that he is different from what is common. (‘Creepy’ sort of falls into that category; although there is no need to tell him that.)
He already knows there’s this guy in California who thinks he’s creepy. He doesn’t know geography very well tho. 😉
So . . . he thinks California is in Australia?
He just knows the geography of his own garden, lol. He’s a hermit.
Oh, of course. That is fortunate.
And no, he still doesn’t know where California is. 😉
Sweeeeeet!
Fall is always sad for me. Do you ever plant fall or winter foods?
Anita I don’t cos fall is sometimes short here in terms of temps and our winters get real bad. So when it’s over, its over. We were close to frost this morning, so now it goes downhill from here.
Thanks. You stay safe and don’t forget to have Albert’s winter hat and scarf ready. I believe my blue lizard has gone into hibernation already.
He doesn’t have a scarf, but I know exactly where his hat is. You be safe and well too.
Don’t be sad because it’s over, be happy that it happened.
At least I can say that about your gardening adventures in the summer. For everything else this year, I would probably flip that around.
But like everything else, this too shall pass.
Your posts are always a pleasure to read.
Those robins look adorable. We too are spotting more birds than usual from our balcony these days, but it has more to do with no leaves on the trees than fall migration I think. 🙂
I like that Tibetan tradition. Where did you get those flags from? That also explains the endless strings of colorful pieces of cloth that appear in many Tibetan landscape pictures – hanging prayer flags 😀
Thank you so much, I appreciate your kind words about my posts. You can order the flags online. I usually take them down and bring them in when I dismantle the garden, but in such a strange year as it has been, they just needed to stay out there. The prayers will last a while longer in the weather. I have started feeding the birds and squirrels as its gotten colder. Yesterday there were 9 squirrels right out back all at once. I love it! And my cat sits on a window ledge and watches Cat TV, and sometimes talks to them with that little chitter sound.