48 pounds of Green Tomatoes, according to the kitchen scale. 13 pounds of tomatoes that may ripen, on top of that. Sheesh!

First Frost

O dear; I guess that this is the end of summer. We had our first light frost last night. We covered much of the garden and pulled in most of our basil and (still immature, sadly) dry beans. I bought a big plastic sheet (a painters' dropcloth) this year and I really recommend it--so much easier, for $1.80, than using our least-nice sheet set. But it looks like I will have to gather in all of our green tomatoes within the week--it's supposed to repeatedly get down to about 26. Poop. My sunflowers and cosmos just started blooming.

When I grow up I do want to live somewhere where I am a bit sick of gardening and ready to give it up by the time Mother Nature forces me to take my winter break. On the other hand, I must confess that the ten-or-so tomatoes I have harvested thus far, even if a little mealy because they mature so slowly in our cool summers, have been extra satisfying. Sooo much better than produce that has traveled thousands of miles north in a truck. And it is rather easier to make a profit at gardening here--produce is very expensive in the stores because it is nearly all imported.

The Mr. and I will be getting down to non-gardening activities soon, too. He has generously agreed to learn a little old-fashioned partner dancing with me. And I can get back down to my fiber stuff, maybe do a little bookbinding, etc. So long as we keep getting clear, crisp days... I'm cool.