With the end of September in sight, fall arrived. Here and there trees are starting to change colors, dropping leaves. A gust of wind blows crunchy leaves ahead of me. The days are still pleasant. After a dip in temperatures, it warmed up a bit and once more I open the windows throughout the house. We have been light on rain this month, but dew collects on plants in early morning, helping out a little.

September could not have been off to a better start; cool nights and balmy days with sunshine, lots of sunshine. Because of the Labor Day weekend, my usual three day weekend turned into a four day weekend and, boy, did I labor.  The Spouse’s lawn continues to disappear slowly as I kicked out another flower bed. The front lawn shrunk by three feet on either side, giving me an additional fifty square feet for plants.

Another month is coming to an end. August has not been too hot, but it has been on the wet side. Over the last eight days have I counted nearly eight inches of rain. The tiny frogs and toadlets (baby toads) transplanted from my job’s pond and garden to our neighborhood have taken to their new homes. In the evenings you can hear small toads calling to each other (once you know the sound, you will recognize it anywhere) and all neighboring properties seem to have a resident toad.

The sun came out and we inched into summer. The garden is becoming more colorful by the day. Annuals, once, yes, disdained by me but now fully embraced, are soaking up the sun and growing by leaps and bounds. Portulaca grandiflora, also known as moss rose or sun plant, is an annual I re-discovered last year. A few six packs of these inexpensive plants made a big impact in my garden last year; now I wanted more.