Here in Michigan, we think of summer being over after Labor Day. That long weekend marks the end of summer activities for most folks. That’s partly due to shorter days, cooler weather and also because children are heading back to school. If I’m wrong about school schedules, please remember it’s been about 30 years since I had a child in school.
Many, including our calendars mark the end of summer as coming at the autumnal equinox. This year, that happened about 10:45 AM last Saturday (Sept 22). Which leads me off on a side trail . . . Why is it the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox when we refer to the summer solstice and winter solstice? Do you know why? I don’t. Is there a reason that it’s not spring equinox and fall equinox?
The lawn is growing very slowly. I’m not complaining about that. Yes, I like being outside while I’m mowing, but it takes expensive diesel fuel and my arthritic bones get “all shook up” riding on that tractor. I’m also not complaining about that either. I’d rather live here in the country and deal with the expansive lawn and everything else than to live in town in an apartment.
The garden is showing signs of wrapping it up for this year. It look different than it did even a couple of weeks ago.
Marigold and salvia keep some color alive. We’ve had a great harvest this year, and will eat well for the next year from produce that came from this patch of ground.
There’s some red showing in the cherry tomatoes, but it won’t last much longer. Soon the cooler weather will be cold. The tomato plant will have completed its cycle. There is promise for the future. The fern-like plants on the left are new asparagus plants. They will come back next year and get much stronger. The year after, we will enjoy a tasty harvest from these plants. Next year, we’ll be enjoying rhubarb from the other side of the garden.
There are beets and carrots waiting to be harvested. There are still plenty of butternut squash to be brought in, processed and preserved. But the end is in sight. The promise for the future can be seen as well.
Summer may be over, but I am warmed by a feeling of deep contentment. Life is good.
Life IS good, and your harvest looks great!
Indeed! We took two dozen butternut squash out of the garden this week. The final count will be around forty. I’ve no idea how many bushels of tomatoes we gathered, and there were zucchini without number. Only a handful of jalapeños, but plenty of bell peppers. And more . . . :food:
You have such a lovely garden and everything looks so green there. We are planning a move back to Kansas. It is more green there than it is here, but we will again move to a condo. Unfortunately, I won’t have even a flower garden. I miss that!
Late spring and early summer were very dry for us. 🙁 Fortunately, the rains returned and it looks beautiful again. :up: Unfortunately, some crops were lost or mostly lost. :down:
Your garden did well–ours….not so much. The tomato plant was just too hot to do much I think. Congratulations on your beautiful bounty!
Sorry about your tomato plant. 🙁 Did you keep it well watered?
Today, Sylvia brought in two dozen butternut squashes, three eggplants and some more tomatoes. We’d love to share with you. It’s a pity that you’re not closer. Or perhaps the pity is that we’re not. :angel:
vernal is just another word for spring from Latin. I’m so impressed with your garden. You worked hard and fed yourselves and many others from that small plot.
We had a bumper crop this year. Tonight we had a beautiful veggy soup with lots of garden goodies. Sylvia even added cabbage and eggplant to the pot. It was super good. :up:
The publicist made very rude comments at the male person yesterday because of the 6lbs of cauliflower he brought her from the garden. She says she cannot fit anything else in the freezers and just where was she supposed to put it. I will not tell you what she suggested. This is a family blog.
I think Sylvia understands how the publicist feels. :frustrated: Our freezer is [nearly] full too. :stop:
Thanks for not sharing words like those here. 😳 (Even if we do understand why they were used.) :banghead:
I always wondered how someone would get a cauliflower ear. Mystery solved.
I guess that cauliflower ear comes from the side of the head of cauliflower? :ha:
It’s been a while since I did astronomy-science with the kids, but I believe the equinox and solstice are so named because of the earth’s axial position in the heavens where it faces the sun. That is, the northern end of the earth is titled toward the sun for the solstices (if I recall correctly) but the earth itself is further away from the sun (the earth goes around the sun in an ellipitcal path, not a perfect circular path).
I’ll be posting on the topic tomorrow. You are partially correct. At the winter solstice, the north pole points directly away from the sun and the earth is closest to the sun.
My question had to do with the adjectives: vernal, autumnal v summer, winter. In other words, I was more interested in etymology than in astronomy when I asked the question. 😯