Changes Are Here

Summer was very hot and dry this year, and I wondered what fall would be like.  Here in Wyoming, it is normal for us to have our first snow by September or October.  Since summer was so hot, I had hoped we'd have a longer, warmer fall.  The growing season here is very short, and it would be nice to have extra time with my beloved gardens.   Alas, according to the weatherman, I am probably not going to get my wish.  The next several nights will have temperatures well below freezing, and we may even get some snow.  With all of this comes the end of my gardening season.

In anticipation of the drastic change (yesterday it was 81° F, today it is supposed to be falling to 35° F by 3 p.m.), I cleaned out all of the remaining veggies in my garden.  The squash and cucumbers were finished by last week, but I still had lots of tomatoes, bell peppers and sweet banana peppers producing.  Each plant was stripped of its fruits, then pulled up to clean out the garden.  I am always filled with joy and anticipation when I plant my vegetable garden, and heartbroken at the end of the season when it is time to say goodbye to it.  I always feel the need to apologize to the plants I have worked so hard to nurture now that their lives are coming to an end.  It makes me feel such a loss.  Is that silly?

The final harvest was very plentiful.  I ended up with two large bags of bell peppers, one of sweet banana peppers, and about half a bag of tomatoes.  I am going to freeze many of the peppers so I will have them for soups, stews, casseroles and chili all winter.  I may do the same with some of the tomatoes if we don't get them eaten up in the next few days.

The final harvest. The long red pepper in the sack on the right is a mystery guest. Supposed to be a bell pepper plant, instead produced these extremely hot peppers! No idea what the actual variety is, I just call them "nukes"!

Now that gardening time has passed, it will be time to get my indoor activities started again.  I have many beading and crochet projects that I'd like to make, and I am determined to teach myself to knit this year.  The changing of the seasons has come, and onward I go!