The Most Beautiful Autumn Ever

Geese in the field across the road

This has to be the most beautiful autumn ever, or at least since I have been in the Portland area. The Oregonian reported that it was the driest three months (July to September) on record, even though for the water year (October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012), we had above average rainfall. Just not in the last three months. The dry weather is supposed to continue, though I did see some rain forecast for the last half of October.

Bok choi may be coming soon

The garden is doing just fine without the rain. I can still water what needs water, though in the cooler temperatures, I tend to forget to do that. The days are shorter and much cooler, so things are really slowing down. I think we’ll get another week of tomatoes, but that might be about it for them…they are tiring out and ripening slower. I keep working on the timing of my fall crops and hope I got them in soon enough. There is a batch of lettuce that should be ready in a week or so and the last planting of beans is just about ready to pick. There could be spinach, arugula and bok choi by the end of October, but I just can’t say for sure if they will make it. There are still lots of carrots, though they may not get to full size, either. I thought I got the cabbage and Brussels’s sprouts in early enough, but again, I am not sure they will fully mature. We’ll see.

I love to see the geese flying.

One of the things I love about fall on Sauvie Island is the return of the geese. They are back in full force now. On Tuesday, a flock of geese landed in the field across the road from our place and stayed to eat and rest a bit. Even though they can make a lot of noise, especially when they fly away, they give me a sense of calm. I guess it is seeing the nature do its thing…whatever else is going on just doesn’t seem to matter as much. I am glad they didn’t land in our garden though, because I think they would have eaten everything up! Not that I want them to eat another farmer’s field, but in this case, the crop was out and it was just stubble left in the field. There was no crop to spoil, just geese to watch on a beautiful autumn day.