"it goes full circle like a cheerio"

the song: "A Little Bit Cooler" Cool Kids

Good gravy! I just looked up and saw that we are well into September. Well, how the heck have you been?! Life is good here in Austin. Labor Day weekend was craziness. After that we had a day of much needed rain that turned into a flood. I got a job (more on that later!). We helped a great friend celebrate his birthday. Tonight I'm going to dress up like a pirate. That's about it.

The most exciting thing, however, has been planting my fall garden. My summer garden got so scraggly. Still, it is always hard for me to pull up plants. Because I'm still a novice gardener, I get pretty attached to my plants. Even if they have stopped producing and all they do is suck up water without offering a thing in return, it still hurts me a little to see them go. It's a cycle and I know that. It doesn't stop me from whispering "I'm sorry!" when I pull them up.

But there has to be change in the garden. And boy do I love fall vegetables. Yesterday I planted broccoli, collard greens, brussels sprouts, and kale. I'm trying broccoli rabe and joi choi for the first time. For many reasons, fall is my favorite time of the year. In the fall we replace lanky tomato legs with lush leaves and pillowy cauliflower. I'm excited to see it fill out a bit.

I'm already dreaming of ribollita and homegrown roasted broccoli. I know it will be a while before fall is officially here, but getting these pretty little ones in makes me feel that much closer to the prize.

~eeg