Goodbye, September

This post may be somewhat random.  So many thoughts going through my head.  I think the fall does that to me.  Even though I hate the end of summer, and dread the cold, dark period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I do love fall.  I love the cool that comes in the evening, the breeze with a hint of change, and the leaves rustling on the ground.  Not that we have many of them out west (leaves, that is).  

I bogged down somewhat in the garden.  I think I am waiting for it to rain, and it doesn't, so I just forget about the garden.  Every year, it feels like one of three things happens to everything in the garden:  1) it completely underperforms--this would describe my onions to a T this year; 2) I get the impression that if I had only helped it a little bit more then I would have had an awesome crop--I feel my squash fits into this grouping; or 3) I am overpowered by the shear awesomeness of its production--my tomatoes and blackberries fit this category.  In the five years we've owned this house, my blackberry vines have never done as well.  I'm not sure if it was the cool, wet spring, or the fact that they received windfall water from watering the yard, or if they were just excited to be near the sandbox, but I have picked for weeks.  I wasn't even planning on making jam this year, but I am going to make some blackberry jam now!!  And don't get me started on the tomatoes.  I can't keep up with them--salsa and canning and fresh oh my!

But on the other hand, cyclocross is ramping up!  And we've been able to enjoy so many of those lovely fall evenings (despite the dust and smoke from want of rain)!  I took these pictures on Wednesday night...the last one is my favorite!