Almost Thanksgiving

When I go out to visit the vegetable garden I am stunned by the number and variety of butterflies still flitting around. Last spring I planted a small space for zinnias (I love these bright easy tacky flowers and so do the butterflies). In the heat of summer all those zinnias died back but hundreds of volunteers sprang up from the spent seed heads this fall. Of course I could not bear to turn them under so they are in profusion with the milkweed and red sage among the collards and broccoli and collards. I beat them back from the carrots and peas. The lettuce is doing well, some of it has bolted in the heat but each day I plant more seeds. I think we are set for salad through the winter, if it doesn't freeze hard.

What I love about gardening is that it is never the same from year to year. You never know about the weather! The only things I plant regularly are tomatoes in spring, collards, beans, onions, carrots and broccoli, and of course, many types of lettuces. Last garden we had beets. This fall we have kohlrabi and broccoli raab and, hopefully, peas. I love potatoes - such an adventure to dig them out, feeling through the soil to find those tender and tasty globes. I plant these in February.

In some gardening rotations I vow to have a really neat garden- no weeds in the paths, all the beds well mulched with compost - and NO zinnias! But in this fall garden the place is ample with flowers along side the vegetables, even morning glory volunteers triumphantly climbing the fence.

Quincy, my grandson, is here for a weekend. Maybe I can get him interested in weeding. Whatever we do, it will be outside in this glorious weather. Perhaps we'll take some of the water weeds out of the fish pond. We'll collect pine cones and look at frogs, ride our bikes down the road. And we'll go out adventuring after dark to look for alligators and spiders. He loves to wear his head lamp, so bold, but I feel his warm hand in mine and I think about that delicious time after his bath when we cuddle down to read a story. I tell him that tomorrow's another day, Grandpa's going to make pancakes and will need help squeezing the oranges for our juice. He'll appear early all dressed and ready for the day.

So many hard things are happening right now about being... Living on a farm and having a five year old you love beyond the beyond come to visit puts me in the here and now, and it isn't bad.