Change in the Air

Ah, September; the month of new chapters. Since I was a kid heading back to school, September has always buzzed with the energy of change. New lunch box, new pencil crayons, new best friends to meet. My son starts his first day of pre-school tomorrow, and I think I'm more excited than he is because I know that this will open up his door to the world just a little wider. The weather is turning slightly colder, and a hell of a lot rainier (of course on the week that I have tickets to an outdoor concert).

With the change of season, the garden is in transition, too. The greens are all but done; as per a friend's suggestion, I'm going to harvest some arugula seed pods to make some arugula-infused oil (thanks, Steve!) I'll leave only one arugula plant for my seed-saving experiment. The Romaine and red-leaf lettuce have been pulled to make room for some spinach; more of a cold-weather crop. We've been snacking on pea pods for a couple of weeks, but overall I have to admit that this year's garden has been a bit of a let down after last year's successes. It looks like I won't be able to make a yummy Greek tomato tart from my own cherry tomatoes this year. The corn stalks are beyond stunted. It's not their fault; they seem to be trying really hard, but to no avail. And to top it all off, I managed to choose a fake curry plant that is apparently inedible. It sure smells great, though.

On the plus side, it looks like I have an abundance of potatoes that I now have to figure out how to harvest and store. The acorn and butternut squash are developing nicely. The pumpkin plants are pushing out these huge velvety-curved flowers that I'm almost embarrassed to photograph. Hopefully we'll be carving jack-o-lanterns from our own pumpkins this year! Perhaps my proudest achievement is holding off on eating my blackberries - I should have enough to make a pie this week and enjoy the fruits of my labour. Or, more accurately, the fruits of my non-labour, as my most prolific crop grows wild without any input from me.

So, as my growing season winds down I am contemplating my next steps in life. Like perhaps changing the name of my blog, as I will no longer be able to pretend that it has much to do with gardening. Stay tuned; the winds of change are blowing, and bringing the fog and rain with them. Perfect time to curl up with a mug of cocoa and do some pondering.