getting ahead of the gardens

(photo from mid-June)

It's so strange. Really strange, considering how I've been longing for summertime during the past few months. But lately, I've found myself looking expectantly toward autumn.

The truly bizarre thing is that we've had hardly any real summer weather where I live. It didn't really get warm and sunny until the first few days of July, and even those days have been rather few and far between. (And I know this won't endear me to those suffering from triple-digit temperatures in other parts of the country!) Largely we've had temperatures around 65 or 70*, and often gray skies, even rain.

But perhaps that's exactly the issue. Maybe all these cool days are bringing to mind the stunning beauty of an Oregon autumn.

Or maybe it's the fact that the clothing stores are transitioning to their fall lines. Or it could be the disenchantment I feel with my growing girth - it's feeling much less charming and much more tubby...and probably on some level I'd feel more comfortable layering on sweaters & corduroys than strolling around in tank tops and sundresses.

And yet... and yet, I still haven't tasted my first summer tomato, or sunk my teeth into a seasonal ear of corn. Last weekend marked our first ripe peaches from the farmers' market, and I am still entirely enthralled with the bounty of summer berries. And I can't resist hoping that the cucumber plants in our garden will produce something worth tasting, one of these days.

There's a lot of good stuff still coming.

So I'm going to relax and relish these days of summer. Flaky weather, retail shops, and weight gain? Forget them. I think I'll take my cues from the calendar and the garden and farmers' market instead.

And when I stumble across my first acorn squash out there, that's when I'll go dig out my sweaters and corduroys...