a Southern Gardener's limbo

"The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze."-   John Updike, September

last night's moon.  Venus was not nearly as bright as the night before, but still quite lovely. 

too bad! the kale seeds i planted a few weeks ago all sprouted - and promptly withered away in the heat!  *sighs*....i'll try again with it next month. 

as you can see in this pic, the broccoli has become lunch for some leafhoppers or something. but if i had waited any longer to plant them, then they would not get established well enough before the weather starts cooling down enough to have a frost. yeah....i know.  it's a bit of a way off for us, but we do need to consider those things. tonight i'll get out there just at dusk and spray everything with some Neem.  with fingers crossed, i'll hope for the best. 

here's a bit of Autumn decor in the GrandGoddess's garden. you can see our very sandy native soil, here along the North Carolina coast - which is why i compost like a mad woman.  Youngest Son gifted me with that garden cart a few Christmases ago. oh, in the distance you can see Chicken Central, which will be a topic for another blog on another day. 

a bit of Autumn decor here in the den. i say "here", because it is the same room which houses the computer.  i hesitate to call this area an 'altar'....i don't *do* things so formally.  but it is where i store my essential oils, incenses and oracle cards.

in the herb garden, the Feverfew which i grew from seed is blooming for the first time.  next year i'll start harvesting the flowers. alas, the Hyssop's lovely blossoms have all gone by now.

truth be told, i don't like the weather at this time of the year very much.  i've grown weary of the heat and humidity.  sinus and allergy problems abound. i take antihistamines when B is not here and i eat local honey.  i take heart, watching the leaves of the Dogwood and RiverBirch trees change - and i know that cooler and drier weather is indeed on the way.  the Autumn is  my very favorite season.  and in the meantime, Cosmo, KrystEl and Homey all  just keep on being their sweet selves.  days go by and time does indeed change all. 

Namaste.