September Days are Here

Hello again! Just sneaking in a moment of nap time while the washing machine and the dishwasher hum quietly in the background. Thank goodness for modern conveniences! We've been busy as usual, but I wanted to take a moment to praise the month of September, and all the goodness that comes with it. Griffin and I were out walking early this morning, after we ran out of milk for our breakfast cereal. The air smelled so good - rotting leaves, woodsmoke, and ripe apples - it reminded me just how much I love this time of year.

We went from sweltering, unbearable heat, to digging through our closets to find sweaters and jackets. I have picked up my knitting again. And I feel this need to start planning out and preparing for the winter ahead. But summer isn't over just yet. We have been enjoying incredible bounty from our garden, and those of gardens around us. Our tomatoes have been extra prolific, and I've been falling behind on drying them in the dehydrator. Home-made sun-dried tomatoes, though - YUM! Literally buckets of tomatoes!

And I was not on top of the gardening scene this year at all, so other than tomatoes, there isn't too much out there that I planted this year. But we did eat the one giant watermelon that grew (bigger than a basketball!) and it was delicious, and perfect for sharing with friends. And we are still enjoying all the excellent fruit, of the perennial variety.

Jai, Griffin, and I shared the one peach that our little tree produced this year, and it was full of super sweet peachy goodness. Our apples are coming along very nicely. And our grapes are covered in fruit for the first time ever this year. We've all been hanging out under the grape arbor an awful lot this past week, pigging out on the grapiest-tasting grapes ever.

“The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else in the Universe to do.” ~Galileo Galilei

I just love the idea of being able to hang out in the yard, and pick food off the branches and vines that are scattered throughout. It sounds like heaven, and it is heavenly indeed. Last night we went to our local farmer's market, then dined on a princely supper of local peaches, blueberries, strawberries, and plums, with home-made bread, sun-dried tomato pesto, and feta cheese. And knowing that winter is stirring, around the corner, makes it all just that much sweeter. Hooray for September!

"By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer’s best of weather

And autumn’s best of cheer."

- Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885