Sarah's Books - Used & Rare

Time for the first hard frost of the year. The forecast for tonight is below freezing, the same for the next few days. I'm taking it in stride, and in fact I've come around (again) to the whole growing older thing. Not like I have a choice, but, you know. I think the change of seasons always hits particularly hard around here. One's mortality becomes mighty evident. They don't call it fall for nothing! So bare-bones and gaunt! Friends, after last week's malaise I pulled myself together, read some good books, listened to The Smiths and New Order, and am feeling much better.

It also helps that the garden is still sending forth blooms. This fall has been golden and warm, and so many plants are experiencing a renaissance of second growth. The sweet peas:


Feverfew is growing and blooming a second time too, and going to seed like mad:

As are the herbs, the thyme and oregano are both covered in tiny fragrant flowers:


And the chives. Second go-around for them, when there's almost nothing else left in the garden:

Even the forsythia on the sunny south corner of the house has a branch in full bloom:

Even more - the heart's ease (johnny-jump-ups) have their faces turned to the sun:

And by the kitchen steps, lavender and nasturtiums and mint and lemon balm are still going:

The nasturtiums in particular, they are truly volcanic! The color is stunning to me, they glow brighter than the cadmium colors on my palette:

With all this beauty in plain sight it's hard to regret the passage of time, or remain dour for long. In fact, it helps me remember that I was a late bloomer myself. I had a great time, and a terrible time, was cool and uncool, and have at least ten thousand very unusual memories. Wouldn't change a thing. Youth...? Coming of age in the eighties...? Long gone, but I Never Can Say Goodbye.