Gossamer and Diamonds...

     ... The moon was glowing in a muggy haze at its fullest.  It was hard not to stare at the ghostly orb, totally mesmerized by its strange pale light.  The end of summer was upon us in the Magic City.  The autumn equinox declared the official beginning of fall.  A few bushes and trees had begun to show a bit of bright color, but it had stayed too hot to actually help the process along.  Greenish brown leaves had begun to fall from trees, signs they were showing the stress of the peculiar weather of this summer.  Lawn grasses were turning brown and crunching under foot.  And yet, somehow Le Petit Jardin managed to produce more than enough herbal treasures for me to still enjoy.

     Finally the predicted rains came to Barberton, soaking the dry bones ground.  Knowing that it was going to rain, I hastily harvested Holy basil from its growing bowl.  Sweet basil was begging to be harvested as its flowers waved in the breeze.  The Holy basil made a delightful fragrant bouquet in a canning jar of water.  White wine vinegar awaits the sweet basil as I search for an appropriate bottle to craft the tasty vinegar.  The solo lavender plant was still cranking out its fragrant purple wands.  I never tire of its "herbie-gardeny" aroma.  Meanwhile, as I let the rain continue to nurture Le Petit Jardin, I label and bag dried herbs for future craft projects.  Marjoram is my herb of choice for both cooking and crafting during the winter months.  Though I have been harvesting marjoram all summer, there is still plenty to be harvested.  Usually I run out of the flavorful herb by March, but with this much marjoram on hand I should have enough to last until next year's garden begins again with fresh plants.  

      As the season races on to the next one, the pollinators and squirrels have been extremely busy about their tasks.  Several foggy nights and mornings heralded temperature changes in the air.  Monarch butterflies travelled through the area.  And webs began appearing everywhere in Le Petit Jardin.  Raindrops sitting on the webs gave the appearance of diamonds spread out on gossamer doilies.  Fall is my favorite season in so many ways.  Unexpectedly, little white roots were branching out in the canning jar where I had placed a bunch of sweet basil into water. I had not meant to water-root the basil, but now that it is going that way, perhaps a small indoor pot would not be unappreciated during the winter month. 

     Golden leaves blew around in the wind as we approached Thanksgiving.  The cold snap we experienced recently paved the way for a week of milder Indian Summer weather.  Stressed trees were only now releasing their leaves.  Many of the leaves were already brown, but some of the trees and bushes managed a brilliant color change before the winds carried their leaves away. The sound of papery dry leaves filled the air as the winds rustle through the last of the colorful trees.  Once again the Squirrelzinis busily buried their precious treasures, making my yard look like a miniature war zone of potholes.  This morning I saw the brilliant scarlet of a male cardinal as I heard him announcing his presence.  Shortly after that sighting, a noisy blue jay flew into yard.  The winter birds are here.  They seem to know that the first snow is about to arrive.  

     Putting Le Petit Jardin to bed for the winter is an all too sad task.  We just didn't have a good summer to be outside much, though the garden did produce in spite of the heat.  I am being coerced into Christmas all around me. It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet.  But now that Thanksgiving has come and gone it is time for me to stop complaining and catch up to the current program.  I just didn't want the Indian Summer weather to end.  Obviously I am going through cookie withdrawal.  A cookie and a cup of tea should perform the healing miracle I need as I sit and contemplate the sights and aromas of the season.  A lesson I learned from my dog Clancey was that of just sitting and sniffing the wind.  Enjoy the moment...

Cardinal in winter