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| September from my Christmas calendar by my daughter-in-law |
Is autumn a word or a feeling? It's heralded by a date on the calendar, but how often does the weather pay attention to that?
I tend to think of September as our first month of autumn. It means the garden
slows down and my busy job of preserving slows down too. Usually, it means
cooler temperatures and an end to the intense summer heat. But this year has
felt different because we had such lovely nighttime lows most of the summer.
The closest we came to a "normal" Southern summer was the last couple of days
of August. Then came rain and a cool front, and it seems that autumn is
officially commencing. No color in the trees yet, but cool nights, shorter
days, and the changing angle of the sunlight certainly hint of the seasonal
change.
Besides needing a light jacket in the morning, there are other tell-tale
signs.
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| The squirrels are feasting on green pecans (and bombing us with their leftovers). |
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| The first muscadines are ripening. |
This is the month when we look to start preparing for winter and writing our
seasonal project list. At the moment, there isn't much on that project list.
Dan hurt his knee last month, so the greenhouse has been on hold, although I'm
going to try some plants in it anyway. It's the last big project we have for
the homestead, so he's having a hard time being patient.
I've got the fall garden to finish planting, which, maybe now that I can ease
back on picking and preserving, I can get the last of the seeds in the ground
before it's too late! My indoor fall project will be to continue sorting and
organizing our remaining spare room. Even after moving out most of my fiber
and textile supplies, I'm still finding a stray box here and there. Then I
need to get a handle on the office, which shares the other end of the room
with
my studio/sewing room. I have boxes of office related supplies and books that need to be unpacked.
Speaking of my studio, since my
On Finding a Balance Between Work and Play post, I've settled into a new routine. Mornings have been in the
garden, and afternoons have been for preservation. After dinner, I have time for weaving. So, basically, less time on the computer, except for documenting and
discussing my fiber and weaving projects
on my fiber blog.
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| Twill gamp dishtowel (1st of 3). |
And occasional updates here. all told, it definitely feels like I have more balance in
my life now.
I know everyone out there is ready for autumn! Anybody else winding down their garden and getting fall weather yet?
