The weather forecast for the next several days predicted cloudy skies and much cooler temperatures so I decided to finally put the gardens 'to bed', cut the lawn for what I hoped would be the final time this year and rake up the last few remaining leaves that had fallen in the recent breezes. Like the 'rites of Spring', there are also some 'must does in the Fall'.
Fall 2013 is a real gem. While Spring and Summer were pretty rainy and wet, Fall blossomed into a beautiful couple of months. Much out of character for this area, the days were warm and sunny and the nights were mild. Usually by this time of the year we have been hit by several hard frosts or possibly even an early snow storm. But this year has been different. Even the frogs in the pond have stuck around a bit longer that usual and Lucky still has his little friends to play with.
The birds and squirrels have had a few extra weeks to prepare for the coming winter, although time has never seemed to bother the squirrels in the past. Those little critters are really 'nuts'!
But this year the results of the fantastic weather saw flowers still blooming in the gardens late into October, brightly colored leaves, many still on the trees well into the latter part of the month and crystal clear nighttime skies. Did anyone notice the full moon last week? It seemed to light up the sky for hours.
Armed with a rake, some clippers and a wheelbarrow, I was ready to cut back the plants and shrubs and clean up what had finally succumbed to the longer season. One thing I have discovered is that the more care taken in the Fall with the cleanup often means less work in the Spring. That applies to the gardens, the lawn, the leaves and the pine needles. We don't have many trees that have leaves, but we do have pine trees with lots and lots of needles and don't let anyone tell you differently.... they are equally as difficult to rake up as any leaf. They do make a great ground cover under the blueberry bushes though.
A quick spin around the yard with the lawn mower, a neat pile of leaves and garden trimmings ready to take deep into the woods, and I was done, in less than 2 hours this year. I've got this down to a science!
Each season has it's own look. Winter offers a covering of snow, blanketing and sometimes hiding what lies beneath. Springtime is a time of new growth,. young plants breaking through what had been recently frozen ground in search of the warmth and sunlight of a new season . Summer is a time to actively enjoy, watching things grow, listening to the tree toads at night and planning the next trip to the beach. There are flowers to pick, vegetables to be eaten and lawns to be mowed and trimmed. And then there is the Fall.
Traditionally a time to 'clean up' and put the garden tools away until next year, with a bit of luck one might be able to squeeze out a few remaining days of what summer brought, that last purple petunia hiding beneath the hosta leaf or the cucumber that managed to be missed at the last picking. And after the final 'clean up' for the season, with the smell of the freshly mowed grass and the gardens cut back for what winter might bring, there is a look, a smell and feeling that is uniquely Fall. Yes, there are the brightly colored trees and the neatly raked yards. But there is also a feeling of …..peace! And for several short weeks it's nice to sit back and enjoy, knowing that within just a couple of months the cycle begins again.
But there is also something special about this year too, a special treat for “the Fenway faithful.”. It may be the end of October, but the the Red Sox are still playing baseball and while St Louis has taken at 2-1 lead in games at this writing, it's exciting to watch the “boys of summer” turn into the "boys of fall," giving local fans a few more days of summer fun, even it the temps are only 40 degrees at game time.
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