Here’s to full days with color

It's Labor Day weekend here in Minnesota. The weather is turning autumnal. Thanks to the Better Half, there's a couple of pots of asters on the stairs to the front stoop. Due to a couple of severe thunderstorm evenings this past week, the yard and driveway are again cluttered with dead, broken branches. We're not sure what’s left in the air after all the rains, but both dogs are exhibiting allergic reaction signs, licking their paws.

pots of asters on the steps

Photo by J. Harrington

Hummingbirds are still showing up at the feeders. I expect they'll start heading south over the next few weeks. Local sandhill crane colts are fully grown, or close to it. We expect to see crane flocks grow in size this month before they head off to warmer locales to spend the winter. Other than hay, we’ve not seen any signs of fields being harvested. May be a late harvest this year if the snow holds off.

I’m looking forward to cooler weather and warmer colors in the days ahead, although the MNDNR Fall Color Finder isn’t yet updated from last year. We’re coming into the season of soups and stews and homemade pies and .... I’ll no doubt get back into some sort of regular bread baking routine.

It’s now time to start watching for woolly worm caterpillars migrating. If they make it through until spring, they’ll become Isabella tiger moths. Monarch butterflies are heading south, although we’ve seen very few this year so expectations are tempered. If the changing of the seasons brings cooler, dryer weather and pleasant times out doors, plus a blue wave on November 5, we’ll have enough to be thankful for in late November. Summer community supported agriculture shares just ended. Autumn’s start next weekend.. Here’s what was in yesterday’s box:

Watermelon Heirloom Tomatoes Mixed Sweet Peppers French Breakfast Radish Curly Parsley Broccoli or Cauliflower Decorative flowers (not for eating!)

September

Helen Hunt Jackson

O golden month! How high thy gold is heaped!
The yellow birch-leaves shine like bright coins strung
On wands; the chestnut's yellow pennons tongue
To every wind its harvest challenge. Steeped
In yellow, still lie fields where wheat was reaped;
And yellow still the corn sheaves, stacked among
The yellow gourds, which from the earth have wrung
Her utmost gold. To highest boughs have leaped
The purple grape,—last thing to ripen, late
By very reason of its precious cost.
O Heart, remember, vintages are lost
If grapes do not for freezing night-dews wait.
Think, while thou sunnest thyself in Joy's estate, 

Mayhap thou canst not ripen without frost!

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