After a wretched summer marked by heat, humidity and acrid air filled with Canadian smoke, September offered some of the best weather one could ask for. The transition into October has been seamless, and it is with some shock that I had to change the calendar.
The leaves are only beginning to change color, but many leaves are already falling to the lack of rain, which has stressed the trees. Still, it is perfect weather for walking and the bugs are quite bearable.
While the weather is still fine, the shortening days are an increasingly urgent reminder that winter is on the way.
This growing season has been a mixed one for Chateau Lloyd. The garden struggle all year before having a strong finish with abundant squash. Preparation was superior to almost any other year, but I’m starting to question the point of the exercise. With so much activity focused on a relatively tiny plot of (not very productive) ground, the yard as a whole suffered. Weeds are running rampant over much of the lawn, and I only began to trim the shrubs back a few weeks ago in order to easy painting access. That should have happened in the spring.
Still, hope flourishes for next year, not the least because so much else was accomplished. The shed took up a great deal of work, but has repaid it with new efficiencies. While the growing season is over, I’m looking forward to cutting back leafless plants (much easier) and setting the table for a more productive spring – and hopefully a better summer.
Of course the Halloween decorations are up, and this year I’ve added a line item for buying items on clearance to improve next year’s display. Here again the shed will prove useful. One of the most significant developments over the last couple of years has been how much our storage has improved in both efficiency and convenience.
One of the joys of fall is the sense that summer’s labor is over, and that after wrapping up some loose ends, one can relax until summer.
At least until the snow arrives.
Chateau Lloyd 
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