Enjoying Fall

Fall in Pennsylvania is my favorite time of year, September, October and early November.  Don't get me wrong, the other seasons all have their charms; Spring with its fresh new rain-scented air and promise of flowers, Summer with its hot sunny days and colorful blooms, Winter with a peaceful blanket of snow draped over all the sleeping plants.  I love all the seasons here, but Fall seems like a perfect fit for me - the leaves on the trees are all turning glorious colors of golds, oranges and reds, its still warm enough to walk outside with just a sweatshirt and jeans, and the animals are scurrying around getting ready for winter.  I love the crunch of the leaves underfoot when we walk out to pick apples or chestnuts and the sound of my hubby chopping firewood for our indoor wood burner or outdoor fire pit.  The air is cool (but not too cold) and so many of my favorite perennials are giving a great show of blooms:  Purple Dome Aster, Goldenrod 'Fireworks', Beautyberry (Callicarpa sp.), and all the ornamental grasses, just to name a few. 

Sure there is a bit of sadness to 'putting the garden to bed' for the season, but it also is a much needed break for plants and gardener alike.  Spring and Summer bring lots of garden work (and thankfully so after a cold gray winter with lots of snow), and Fall reminds us that it is also good to rest & plan for next year's garden.  There is still a little work to do - trimming, weeding, cleaning the beds, planting bulbs and putting away garden ornaments that may break in the snow.  I look forward to seeing the different varieties of bulbs bloom in the Spring, gardening can teach patience, that's for sure (I am looking at you Mr. Tree Wisteria that takes up to 10 years to bloom... I am also looking at you Mr. & Mrs. Hardy Kiwi that will take 7 years to fruit...). 

Fall also is the harvest season, pumpkins, apples, chestnuts, late veggies, gourds, apple cider and more - all fun to share with friends and family - even if you buy things instead of growing yourself.  Fun festivals abound where kids can decorate pumpkins and make treats for the garden birds to eat - like peanut-butter birdseed pine cones to hang in the trees.  This year I received a present of a squirrel feeder, it is a wooden house-like deal that holds a large glass jar on its side.  You fill the jar with peanuts in the shell or other squirrel treats and they will go in the house to get into the jar, all which is made to stay dry in the rain or snow.  It may sound crazy to feed squirrels on purpose, when so many people think of them as a nuisance, but I like feeding all the critters (especially chipmunks) and I was hoping it would draw the squirrels  away from the bird feeders a little bit at least.  Hubby put the new feeder up yesterday on a tree that we can see from the house, filled it with peanuts, but it sits lonely while two squirrels sit on my bird feeder chomping away.  I suppose it will take them a few days to find the new feeder.   I wish I could just text them and tell them how they are missing out and if they would only look about 30 feet to the left - they would be pleasantly surprised!

Hoping you are enjoying Fall too!