Definitely Fall weather here in Yankee-ville. The swamp maples are turning rather rapidly and all other varieties are beginning to display their deep orange/red tiaras. The Summer that we had was short and dreadful. Very hot and very humid...with temps and humidity #s almost equal on those stifling days. Nights weren't much better and I have the electric bills to prove it. I have a rather ancient in-the-wall AC in my bedroom and as breathing is rather essential to my well being...I whispered sweet nothings to it every night...praying that it would last throughout this season. One appliance disaster a year is my limit these days and the water heater took precedence this year. This past week...the daily temps haven't exceeded the low to mid 70°'s and evenings/nights are dipping into the low 50°'s. All with nominal humidity. I'm in heaven! And...praying that this weather will last for a few more months....and me with it. :-)

Nothing unusual; this is the time of the year our summer song-bird migrate. Several small song birds migrate at night, therefore, you may not notice. Ornithologists think they may do this to avoid enemy predators. Starlings and blackbirds are forming large flocks and will move south. In spring and early summer, these same birds vie for nesting and feeding territory and will space apart. After the nestlings have fledged, that behavior subsides and by fall, these same birds flock together with their new offspring. Hopefully, the new birds have developed sufficiently to withstand the rigors of the flight south. I have not seen any juncos yet, but when I do, I will know that winter is coming. The juncos over-winter here and in early spring, they will leave for their northern nesting sites. When the juncos arrive, it signals the end of summer-like weather. At my house, the average temperature has lowered and last week, I turned on my furnace. The autumn forecasters here are predicting that our fall colors will peak a week earlier than last year. This forecast is based on several factors, all weather related throughout the spring and summer. Our colors normally peak around Oct.1 to Oct 10. This year, it may peak by the end of the 3rd week of September.

Margo - finally got down to the post office and collected your package. Thank you so much! Beautiful embossed handmade card, she decorated a card for the recipe fro Caramel Apple pie as well, a big package of cinnamon sticks (yea! love them), seeds for Blackberry lily, Tomato soup coneflower and Morning Glory Grandpa Otts plus hand beaded earrings and bracelet in a little muslin bag. Was out with friends for dinner and I’m wiped (just in) so pictures have to wait until tomorrow.

I feel like I am so far behind I'll never catch up, but I'll try. Larry, Those cookies look awesome. I'm glad you ate one for each of us. Farmgardener, One of the things I love about this group is that we weave discussions about real life together the way it really happens---because none of us garden in a vacuum, so of course we must discuss grandchildren, great recipes, pets, wildlife, etc. At some points in the year if we could discuss only gardening, I think we might run out of things to talk about. Your story about your grandson is so cute! It reminds me of when Chris graduated from kindergarten at the age of 5. They had little caps and gowns and a ceremony and everything. On our way home, I looked over at him and he was holding back tears. I asked what was wrong and he said "I don't want to move out and get a job and get an apartment." I could hardly control my mirth as I explained to him that he didn't have to grow up, move out, get an apartment and get a job until he'd graduated from college when he would be in his 20s. He was so relieved! How a 5 year old ever got the idea that graduating from kindergarten meant it was time to go out into the world and support himself is just beyond me. I'm glad you got some rain! Our mesonet station got an inch of rain, most of it yesterday afternoon, but all of that missed us. I had expected the rain would miss us and had watered the garden and containers thoroughly the day before rain was expected so I didn't have to sit and worry about whether it was coming or not. Had it rained, I just would have considered that rain to be a bonus. Larry, I usually don't dig sweet potatoes until October, assuming the September nights stay warm, which they have so far, but of course you can dig them at any size you want. Maybe you'll find bigger taters underground than you're expecting? dbarron, I seriously hate this heat. It has cooled down a little bit, but not a lot, and I am so sick and tired of it. I'm ready for all the good things that come with cooler weather....I'd love a really chilly evening or morning, but that could be weeks away still. Because it is so warm, zinnia seeds from the current flowers have sprouted in the pathways and the little plants are 2-3" tall. I bet they get big enough to flower since the weather is staying so warm. Nancy, Cats are not allowed to sleep in our room with us because they are too disruptive. Of course, you have to train them to learn to handle the night without you. They have cat beds, blankets, toys, food and water. All they're lacking is human company at night, and they've learned they have to live without that human company until somebody gets up in the morning. We close our door at night and they've never destroyed it yet. If they are scratching at the door, I've been known to put them in the spare bedroom (with a litter box and food/water, and a cat bed and blanket that are in that room all the time) and close the door. Staying in the spare room hasn't killed a cat yet and they've gotten used to not being in our room with us. You know, you're the grown-ups and they are the fur kids, so you can train them to be the way you want them to be. Your sweet potatoes will be fine. The vines are protecting them from the sun and often sweet potatoes will enlarge enough to pop up out of the ground that way. Amy, I've grown ornamental sweet potatoes indoors over the winter before---I kept them near an east-facing window so they had morning sun and was careful to avoid overwatering them and they did just fine. I like to do this some years so that I don't have to buy new plants in the spring. I just dig up the current year's taters, prune the vines back sharply, replant them in pots I can bring indoors, etc. I usually leave them outdoors on the porch for as long as possible---until the nights start dropping into the 50s, and then I bring them in to stay. They really love warm weather and lots of sunshine, so don't grow as rampantly indoors as they do outdoors, but that is a good thing. If you went to see The Lion King, I hope the boys liked it. Lillie and Aurora adored it, though I think they liked Aladdin a bit more. I was a little worried that the death of Mustafa or the hyenas might be too upsetting for Aurora, who was 4 when she saw the movie, but neither one seemed to bother her at all. Actually, my sister and I felt like all my mom's great-grandchildren really benefitted from seeing The Lion King so close to our mother's death because we were able to discuss mom's life/death using the circle of life analogy from the movie in a way that even the youngest great-grandchild could understand. Sometimes in the garden we have that same circle of life discussion about both plants and insects in the garden, and I hope that lesson sticks with the kids. I'm doing to ignore the Burpee's sale if I can, but I'll say this...as expensive as their catalog seeds are, if they cut the price down to half-off, they're as affordable as seeds from most other companies. I only buy Burpee Exclusives from them, and not that often either, because everyone else beats them, pricewise on the things that are not exclusive to Burpee. Rebecca, I hope you found time for a nap. Afternoon naps are just the best! I didn't do any gardening today at all. It was CostCo/Sam's Club, grocery store and feed store day instead. I wanted to go to some of the big box stores and look at plants, but then there's the question why? What plants could I possibly want to plant in this hot weather? I'm still waiting for the autumn cool-down, and not waiting very patiently either. It also was NCAA football game day, but the only game I've been interested in watching is OU's game tonight. I just cannot get into football when it is 90-whatever outdoors and the heat index is near 100. If it doesn't feel like football weather (if anyone here remembers what it is like to sit on the bleachers at a football game and feel COLD, lol, then that is the football weather I remember from my younger years), I cannot really get into a football mood. We need to mow tomorrow. I am tired of mowing. It is crazy how fast the grass continues to grow even though we haven't had any rain in a couple of weeks now. Tim, of course, adores mowing so he'll be out that riding in circles on the riding mower, happy as a pig in mud. Dawn