Winter! When?


Is equinox/solstice the beginning of the season?
Nope.
Equinox/solstice marks the mid-point of the season.

Consider, Shakespeare called his play about summer solstice "A Mid-summer's Night Dream."
Mid-summer.
The cross-quarter days/celebrations mark the start of each season.

Imbolc, Candlemas, at the start of February, marks the start of Spring.
May Day is the actual start of summer.
Lammas, Harvest feast, at the beginning of August, starts fall.
And Samhain, Halloween, tells us winter has arrived.

Your garden, your herbalism, and even your life, thrive when you move with the actual natural seasons.
Me, I see winter looming.
Soon.
In 24 days.

So goodbye to my beautiful deck filled with color and texture and happy birds.
Soon frost will take those plants I don't move inside.
Time to harvest all that basil and make pesto.
Time to harvest the amaranth and lambs' quarter seeds I let grow with the flowers.
Time to harvest flower seeds for next year's beauty.
So far, I have collected: morning glory, orange cosmos, castor bean, zinnia, and marigold, lots and lots of marigold, seeds.

These photos capture a bit of its glory, a flash of hummingbird delight.
A thrill of color and texture and form.

Goodbye beautiful garden.
You surrounded me with beauty.
You nourished my heart.
You were there when I needed a breather.
You are my green blessing.
Until next year, goodbye.