When I was in Utah, my dad told me that the weather had been about a month "early" all summer. June felt like July, July felt like August, and in August autumn was already creeping up. They got a major rain storm too, while I was there, which is really weird for a desert in August.
When I got home, I found maple leaves already starting to turn, the vegetables in the garden winding down, and the temperature fairly chill. The lawn is dormant and doesn't need mowing. My cucumbers never did make a showing and now I doubt they will. (Too bad. I was looking forward to trying Crystal Apple white cucumbers this year.) The tomatoes are plump and the cherry tomatoes are ready to eat. Some of the dry beans are ready to harvest (my favourite part of gardening), and the peas and beans have gone to seed. I think that's the shortest growing season we've had.
Tomorrow I will spend the day bottling whatever is ready at the farmers' market. Every year I bottle tomatoes, peaches, pears, apples, pickles, and grape juice. I will buy peppers in bulk to freeze because mine never do well in the garden. The herbs and beans will be dried and stored away. The green beans, peas, squash, and pumpkins will be frozen. And then it's done.
Wow, that means winter coming after that. I usually don't think ahead to winter this early in the year. I must concentrate on the harvest right now and push away dread of the coming dark. If I think about it now, I'll only suffer twice, and I'll miss the joy of the abundance I have right now.
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