The season comes to an end...I think.

This weather has been so fickle! I don't know what to expect. Yesterday I wore flip flops, jeans and a t-shirt and I thought the cold wind was going to blow me into the next town! Today I thought we might get more of the same so I wore a sweater and jeans and sneakers...and now, I'm HOT. I can imagine how my poor vegetable plants feel...they don't know what to make of it either!

I guess what we'll make of it is that this season is coming to a close. My tomatoes are still going pretty good but everything else is telling me it's time to call it a day. And I'm OK with that. I didn't do anything about winter crops...I barely got a grip on summer crops! I am looking forward to planning next year's garden. I've got my seed catalogs dog-eared and highlighted, my gardening books piled high next to my chair, sticky notes on every other page...I can't wait! I'll have to be careful though...I can see how gardeners get bombarded with gorgeous vegetables come harvest time, it's hard to pick just one kind of anything! You need at least 2...or 3...or more! Not to mention how many plants you get from a packet of seeds. Oh my...I see trouble in my future. And, is it wrong to want to grow eggplant even though I can't stand it? I do NOT like the taste or the texture...but they're so beautiful I want to grow one! We'll see...my husband says, "Only grow what we will eat." And I agree, it makes sense and I'd hate to be wasteful. Actually, only growing what we'd eat was the original plan...MY idea, too! But looking at those gardening catalogs...oh my, it can be dangerous. Everything is so pretty!

After a long, hot summer the air is beginning to feel like autumn...that cool, brisk crispness that always makes me happy. I'm ready. And I'm so thankful for my garden for helping me get through the summer. Summer is hard for me...but a garden makes it worth it. Definitely. As a matter of fact, I may even look forward to it next year...I never thought I'd say that!