Whenever September has the audacity to be cloudy, I'm in shock. How dare the weather not be perfect? For the most part, every day is pleasant and sunny, with very little humidity. I suppose I should be unhappy that it hasn't rained, after all, my lawn is parched and brown. But it's hard to argue with so much sunshine!
I noticed that many parts of the garden, especially the veggies, are looking subpar by the end of summer. It's normal for us, after all, I'm an organic gardener who refuses to spray any poisons about. So by this time of year, insects and disease seem to rule. But I'm good at keeping the ugly spots away from the camera. We are still getting tomatoes, peppers and carrots from the garden, and a few green onions. Might see another zucchini or two if we get lucky. I've prepped a lot of tomatoes for freezer storage, so when the weather turns cold, and I wish for a summer tomato, at least I can cook something tasty with them.
Mid month, we took a vacation up into the northern parts of our home state of Michigan. It was delightful! We put a lot of miles on the car, and explored many little known spots. I can always tell when we're about to find a treasure, as the road to get there becomes more and more remote. Even though I was born and raised near Lake Michigan, I'm always in awe of the many colors of blue. Throw in some sunsets, lighthouses, sand dunes, and scenery, and I'm in heaven.
I released the last of my monarchs before my trip to Michigan, and I miss them already. But plenty of other critters visit me here, and I love to take picture of almost all of them, even if they're pests.
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| NOT a monarch, this is a viceroy |
Back home, I found the garden looking pretty rough, even though I hired someone to water for me. Water wasn't enough to hold back all the wild growth and overgrown spots for ten days. I'm still trying to set it all to rights. But instead of focusing on cleanup, I planted fall containers and decorated with pumpkins. Priorities!
A flower you can always count on at the end of summer is the sunflower. They just continue to put out smiling flowers. Pollinators love them just as much as I do. Goldfinches tear up the petals to get to the seeds, but they're so cute and matchy when they do so.
Don't get me wrong, there are still a few pretty spots to admire. But remember, I'm not likely to show you the rough spots with my photos. But do try to ignore the powdery mildew on my zinnia foliage. It's everywhere this year.
Late September is when I start haunting the local parks in search of fall colors. There are only a few spots of color now, but mostly I go to admire the endless fields of goldenrod. I can't get over how much there is!
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| Pickerington Ponds-Burning Lake |
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| Chestnut Ridge |
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| Blacklick Woods |
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| Blacklick Woods |
I don't actually stay indoors much this time of year. While the weather is so pleasant, I like to be out in it, by either gardening, visiting parks, or even out running errands. But I did work on this colorful shawl a few times, gathered a bouquet of zinnias, and changed my seasonal tray to an apple theme. Of course I'll switch it out to pumpkins pretty soon.
Since I leave my fall decorations up through Thanksgiving, I try not to start too early. But at the end of the month, I finally broke down and put out my fall decorations. It's a miracle that I don't put it out on September 1st, with my passion for all things autumn. But it has to at least feel a little fall-like before I'm ready to decorate.
And so it's time to wrap up life in Robin's Nest with a few sunsets. These photos don't all come from the Nest this time. Clear days mean that sunsets are often a little plain. But I keep my eyes peeled for good ones! Thanks for stopping by to see what's happening at my place, I sure appreciate it. I'll see you again in October, where I'll likely be giddy with excitement over the fall color show. Can't wait!
