First fall rain

Our first fall rain blew in last night. Yesterday afternoon was windy with a hint of a chill and bathed in that flat, almost metallic, light that heralds an approaching storm front. The temperature dropped in the night but the rain was intermittent and more a heavy mist than the rains we see in later in the year. Still, with predictions of a 5000 foot snow level tonight, it is time for fall chores.

Despite all the hints of the approaching change of season, I have been lulled by the buttery light of the last few days. All my senses have conspired to keep me in some languid stasis, drifting about with all the time in the world. Today that lull must end. The temperature drop is a wakeup call. There will be plenty of glorious autumn days ahead but a little taste of cool evenings to come is a sure motivator.

Autumn chores are not unpleasant. Put on a sweater (it is first sweater day of the year) and step out into the cool morning. Clouds and sun, the occasional shower, a rainbow…what’s not to like? Last night I put together a mental inventory of fall tasks but committing them to electronic paper is more binding. So here goes:

Find Reemay to cover the basil, tomatoes and eggplant when the inevitable frost warning comes
Buy new bulb food and locate bulb planter
Put away garden tools. ( I like to think that this year I will treat the tools correctly).
Tuck in a few more pansies.
Plant asters
Begin readying tender outdoor plants for their journey back to the greenhouse.
Plant iris rhizomes (a little late, I know)

Chores for this time of the year are mostly small and lend themselves to puttering and daydreaming, a satisfying way to spend the first cool cloudy day of the season. Just as the garden is winding down, leaves beginning to yellow, growth suspended, so I find myself introspective and deliberate as I go about my tasks. It is in keeping with the cycle of the wheel and I am enjoying every minute of it. All of this triggered from a simple fall rain.