Thursday, September 13, 2012

The Turn of the Season

There's a change in the air. Can you feel it?

Here in Wisconsin, though the days are still warm, nights are beginning to cool down. The sky has taken on a deeper blue; here and there a leaf flutters down from a tree. Socks are making a comeback. Geese and sandhill cranes are holding travel seminars, where they look at slides of last year's vacation and listen to lectures on "Finding a Family-Friendly Marsh" or "Chlorine in Corporate Ponds: Is it Harmful to Your Health?"


My tomatoes have belatedly realized that yes, it is indeed summer. In a fine, if tardy, burst of enthusiasm, they've finally produced some fruit - a few of which are actually beginning to ripen.

It's about time!

On the allergy front, ragweed, chernopod, and nettle continue to flourish, wreaking havoc in sinuses everywhere. Benadryl sales are booming, and eye drops are flying off pharmacy shelves.

All in all, it's an exciting time of year - but I view it with mixed emotions.

My higher, or gardening self, would like the warm weather to last another month or two. (More tomatoes! More basil!) My lower, or allergic self, would welcome a hard frost tonight - anything to nip that ragweed in the bud. (Less sneezing! Less blowing!)


Given the choice, I think I'd plump for tomatoes. But it's out of my hands - out of all of our hands. We shall have to be philosophers and cheerfully take what we are given.

How do you feel about the approaching change of season?

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23 comments:

  1. Those birds. Ever the intellectuals. :)

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    1. I know - and they have some pretty good a/v equipment too. :)

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  2. Autumn is my favorite time of year and it is not something we experience here. But I am heading up to Indiana this weekend and to Ohio in October so I am hoping to catch some nice Fall weather on these trips.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    1. I suppose Florida, like Southern California, has about 1-1/2 seasons. Enjoy your trips! :)

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  3. I find fall kind of bittersweet. I like long sunny days. And bare feet (or sandals if I must). No coats, no snow. :)
    While it is a bit hard to say goodbye to all things summer, I really like pumpkins, and kids in costumes, and seeing tons of fun sized candy. (LOL)
    Every season has its beauty and its fun. I am trying to stay in the now.

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    1. Fun sized candy! I'd forgotten about that. Thanks, Beth. :)

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  4. Nice to see your tomatoes ripen before the frosts set in!
    I love this time of the year and September is such a beautiful month with gorgeous lighting. I'm watching the sun shine on the geraniums on my balcony as I write! All seasons have their charm and if we didn't have the rain and the wind, we wouldn't appreciate so much the sun and the warmth of it!
    Tomorrow, I'm off to visit my sun in Canada for 2 weeks and I'm hoping to catch an Indian Summer!
    Enjoy the lovely days! Sandra

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    1. Thanks, Sandra. And you're right;the light is very lovely this time of year - slanting and golden.

      Have fun in Canada! :)

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  5. I love the change, finally we had a small spell of cooler weather, but went away as fast as it came. Love your tomato plants...you are lucky....mine didn't do a thing but turn green and make some small little creature a wonderful snack!
    Hope you have a lovely week. Shari.

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    1. Probably chipmunks ... they seem to love tomatoes as much as we do. Thanks, Shari! :)

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  6. Sptember is my favourite month. We had a wonderfully warm day today. Now it's getting cooler, which will give us a restful sleep. However, September indicates the darker periods of the year, which I don't like that much. I like it warm and sunny because I am often cold. I don't want to think of temperatures in the minus and all the trouble this makes. I'd better knit a warm and bright sweater, and I am grateful for the wood heating.

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    1. Yes, we too dread the really cold weather. There is a lot of work involved in keeping warm! By all means knit a warm sweater, and be sure to post pics of it on your blog so we can all admire it. :)

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  7. I absolutely adore autumn, although something has been making me sneeze this year.

    Love the idea of travel seminars for geese!

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  8. I do love the colours of Autumn but like you am willing my tomatoes to hurry up and ripen! I like having a perfect excuse to knit more now that it's not so hot:O) I'm looking forward to crunching in all the fallen leaves xox Penelope

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    1. Good point about the leaves....

      And yes, those tomatoes need to get a move on!

      Thanks, Penelope. :)

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  9. I enjoy reading your posts, Sue. September is about savouring and also about the realisation we are living on borrowed times as it were: every sunny day is relished because we know what's round the corner. Friday we were hit by a grey, blustery day and it knocked us for six. This weekend we were graced with glorious sunshine which lured me out on my bicycle with my son. Wonderful. Infact I always cast a thought over to you when cycling although I DO NOT manage to cycle half as far as you. I admire you.

    So you are allergic too? Mine is mostly to dust mites so I do not look forward to October when they make a major comback and the bedroom windows are closed against the cold.

    I hope you have a lovely week, Sue.

    Stephanie

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    1. Merci, chère Stephanie. Dust mites for me too. (Sigh.) I passed a very tiny vineyard on my previous ride - nothing like what you get to enjoy! :)

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  10. Ragweed is indeed a most irksome beast! I've ben getting rather sniffly lately. Beautiful time of the year though... one of my very favorites. It is so lovely to be able to bundle up in tights, sweaters, and boots!

    Thank you for your kind comments on my tea time post. Yes, I did actually make the tiered stand. Probably should have mentioned that in my post, but utterly forgot... thanks for reminding me! haha. I just used some smelly epoxy I bought at Walmart. Dries clear, but smells for a while longer after it is dried. I used some melamine plates, a bowl, and then a ceramic egg cup. Was a fun and rather simple project.

    Have a lovely day, my friend!

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    1. Thank you, K. We haven't quite hit the boots stage, but I did wear a sweater and tights (with a skirt) last week. :)

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  11. As for me I am so glad when some cooler air replaces the hot humid days of July and August.

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    1. Yes, I'm with you there - especially when July is humid AND drought-y, as ours was.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

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  12. My tomatoes must be directly related to yours! I didn't start getting blossoms until the last couple of weeks, and I just two days ago had a full-sized Roma fresh off the vine! Heavenly!

    I must keep vigilent watch of the overnight lows now so I won't lose the hundreds of peppers that also are just now forming. The Hot and Spicy children will get to come inside for the winter before our first freeze. I'll have to say goodbye to my tiny little spider with outstretched arms who is helping ward off the mealies...

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    1. We had patchy frost last night, and believe me I got out the tarps to cover those precious tomatoes and basil. It was a rough growing year.

      Romas! My favourite. I can't grow them where we live now. I'll have to come and visit you.... ;)

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