Monday Morning

It's cool on the deck this morning -- 50ish (10c). I don't mind the sweatpants and sweater. This will be the normal attire as we move forward towards winter. I'm not typically up before the sun breaks the eastern horizon, but Chris had an early appointment so I was awake and decided to enjoy the sunrise.

With last night's temperature reaching below 50 and several more sub 50 nights in the forecast, I guess it is time to bring in some of the warm weather plants. Truthfully, I kind of hate this part of fall gardening. It's not that it is difficult work. It just means that winter is way closer than I care to think about. 
But also -- I'm not really looking forward to the work. 
I think I'll probably take down the zinnias in the picket fence flower bed. I'll leave the downspout beds for the wintering bugs to use. 
I was reading about fall seeding for zinnias and think I'll give that a go in the fence bed. I'll harvest the seeds from this year's flowers, clear the stems and roots, rake up some of the mulch, furrow the soil beneath, plant, cover, and re-mulch. Nothing to it. It's only 110 lineal feet (33m)! 
That'll be a week's (maybe more) worth of work!

Since I have been getting a late start on spring planting the past couple of years, this should give me some much earlier flowers next year. Plus all of the work will be already finished. 
I doubt that a fall/winter greenhouse will happen this year, but I will try to get an early start to planting with some basement pots in February. I'd start earlier, but I hope to be in the tropics for January.

Sometimes (like now) I just sit here and close my eyes. I can feel the warmth of the early morning sun on my face and breathe in the still cool morning air.
Eyes closed; ears opened.
The birds are particularly loud this morning and the Monday morning traffic on the nearby highway tells me the work week is beginning for most of the community around me. The roosters are also letting everyone know that it's morning.
I've just poured a second cup of coffee and I'm going to take some time to contemplate my place in the universe before getting busy with the gardening. Maybe it's simply my place to add a little color to the world in the spring. Planting seeds is such an act of hope and promise.

John