Singalong

Turn! Turn! Turn!

To Everything There's a Season...

I spent a few minutes today, turning over a new leaf or two...or more. Yes, dear readers, time to change those calendars from September to October. I wish I could just rattle off where we've been and what we've been doing for the four weeks since I last posted, but I would probably miss something vital to the story. Since when has that ever stopped me? Ah well, I'll give it my best shot. 

You can definitely tell a change of season moved in with that change of month. Both our days and nights are getting cooler, and that's showing up in the first color changes in the leaves. It's also showing up in the garden, where the remaining warm season crops (tomatoes, peppers, and black-eyed peas) are winding down, while the cool-season veggies (lettuce, carrots, 'English' peas, and various greens like mustard, collards, and turnip) are starting to put on a show. 

Here's a snap of the harvest earlier this week:

Are You Going to Scarborough Fair?

I've been knee-deep in Master Gardening stuff for the past month. I worked registration and attended our annual Gardening Gala in mid-September, where Bryce Lane was one of the speakers. That was a fun day! 

Yesterday we had a pot-luck luncheon, and I had signed up to bring a casserole. I choose a recipe that used rice and three colors of peppers, seasoned with some onion, garlic, and fresh herbs (all from the garden...except the rice, that is)...and a splash of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and some white wine, to taste. When I tried to convince others that I had been tasting the casserole, NOT the wine...at 9:00 in the morning...I got a few raised eyebrows. Oh, and at least one "why ever not?!" Anyway, since the herbs included parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, I named my version after that song of the Sixties.

Love is a Rose...

(I have always loved the Linda Ronstadt version of that song.) Anyway, it seems that I have been in one rose garden or another lately. Earlier this week, I was snapping photos in our own Rose Garden, including these two of a Chrysler Imperial (red) and a Sutter's Gold (pink-tinged yellow-gold). 

While snapping those shots, I spotted my first Monarch butterfly, flitting around the butterfly bush...so I tried to break my own record of digital pics in one spot. Came close...

Then, today I worked with the volunteers at Blandwood's Heritage Rose Garden, adding mushroom compost and prioritizing next steps. Tomorrow I'll be doing basically the same thing in the Master Gardener Volunteer Demonstration Rose Garden out at the Extension Center...which explains why my car is riding low, hauling an extra 400 pounds in the hatch. Still, you gotta love Lillie Pearl PTC's versatility. 

Some Beach, Somewhere...

OK, so all work and no play makes Jack's sister a dull girl, right? Right! September was time for the beach! We picked the shortest distance between two points and headed to Wrightsville Beach. Oh, it was wonderful sticking my toes in the surf & sand! Even though our time was limited, we made the most of what we had.

Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochie...

So, my previous post talked about returning to NC from Georgia, right? Well, this weekend, we reverse the process. Baby Girl is having a birthday, and I need to give her a hug. Simple as pie.

Or, in this case, cake. Birthday cake. And we all know how I feel about cake.