Oh no! I think I am heading into my fall funk. I don’t want to garden anymore, or at least I am questioning the amount of time I put into my garden, and whether it is truly time well spent. I am thinking that next year I am only planting nasturtiums: a gigantic garden full because squash bugs hate them and brassica eating caterpillars don’t like them either.
I need to find a list of flowers that chickens don’t eat. I bought violas for the pots on my back porch because they are my favorites, but evidently they are my chickens’ favorites for dinner.
Some of the chickens are laying eggs in a random cat house in our backyard. I am reminded of the time our last flock was doing the same and Larkspur and I discovered eggs in one of the cats’ houses. She squealed with delight and said to me in all seriousness, “Maybe they’re cat eggs!”
But back to the garden: I think it would be fun to grow mostly flowers next year. I do. Nobody’s eating my marigolds. Nothing devours zinnias and calendula here. Maybe just flowers and Christmas pole lima beans (being shelled above) because they’re so pretty.
Off topic: We have a new used car after being essentially a one vehicle family for a very long time. It’s an eight year old gold Taurus, and my girls call it “The Beauty.” They really mean that too. They think it’s beautiful. I guess it’s a little fancy for me, because last night after my book club I couldn’t get it to start. At close to 11 p.m. I had to ask husbands of friends to get their jumper cables and pull a car over to jump The Beauty. But The Beauty wouldn’t start. She refused. This happened once last week too. We couldn’t figure out why our fancy car wasn’t working. Then last night, as these two men puzzled over why my car wouldn’t start I experienced a rare moment of clarity and sound thinking. I thought of the two keys to the car in my purse. One attached to a pink plastic thing, the other to a bleeper. I had used the bleeper to lock the car when I arrived at book club, but the other key to unlock when I tried to leave. I am not used to having a fancy bleeper. I reached in to my purse, pressed unlock on the bleeper, then put the key in the ignition and it started.
So, that was a little embarrassing. I don’t know if I can get used to all this fanciness.
I hope none of you are experiencing impending change of season funk. Fall is my favorite season, so it’s a mystery to me why I always feel a little weird as it arrives. I’ve learned not to dwell too much on it though, as these feelings are temporary.
The pictures in this post are simply gorgeous! Love all the colors and your new header!
Those beans are so beautiful! Sometimes I want my life to be like yours… maybe with a few less children – but like yours. It’s so full of beauty.
I’ve heard said by a wise farmer that if you find (prolly even on the internet, speaking of fancy) a smooth egg-shaped rock and place it where you want the chickens to lay, they’ll lay there! I suppose because they are forgetful :). LOVE ‘cat eggs’! My daughters would totally have each other believing that one..
Fall is mine favourite too, but it would be great if it would last longer than couple of weeks here in Poland.
I love your photos and your animals. That’s a pity I live in a town and can’t have hens. I can’t have a cat too, because of my dog. But your cat looks like a cat from my dreams.
Best
makneta
Two keys? Who’s every heard of such a thing! I would have done the same thing too. Good luck getting through the funk. I have no doubt you will.
… oh and Autumn is the best time of year for thinking: that’s why it seems such a change of tempo making the transition from the more active outdoorsiness of summer 🙂 (not that you can’t think outdoors, but like has already been said, more inwards, introspective. sorry, my grammar’s not working particularly well today! x)
Hello, I’m a newish follower and just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your quiet writing, you have a lovely voice. Can you tell me what camera you use please as your pictures have such a richness and depth to them, I find them quite wonderful. x Chloe
Lol…lovin’ the car story! The computerized car is a whole new beast to get use to. I have no funk yet, but then again, I just put in a full garden for the fall. I love violas as well, something about their little cheery faces, that just makes me smile!
Hi Ginny,
I love the “cat eggs” comment. That is so darn cute.
I start getting a little burnt out in the garden this time of year, which is why we don’t usually plant a fall garden. Jeff did plants lots of kale though. And I definitely want to plant some garlic.
Your car story cracked me up. All the fanciness challenges me too. My mom thinks I’m “fancy” on the computer because I can blog. 🙂
Love, Taryn
That’s what this is, then? Fall funk? I love autumn & I’m feeling so very…off…this year. I don’t want to say I’m glad I’m not alone because that implies I’m glad you’re there, too, which of course I am not. But…well, you know what I mean.
Your car story made me laugh, though. That is absolutely something I would do… xo
Fall used to be a little sad for me because after a lovely summer my husband would go back to teaching high school chemistry, and my kids — back to college! My dog and I would be bored to tears until we got our sea legs back. But I think it’s also that hint of fall crispness that creeps in – the curling leaves, the thunk of acorns on the roof. It all makes my heart hurt, just a little.
I hate to tell you that chickens love nasturtiums, mine always eat ours
Such beautiful photos! The change of seasons have the opposite effect on me. I love to see them. i hope you are feeling better soon! Can’t wait to see the Beauty 😉
When I was younger (ahem) if my car would not start I always checked to make sure it was in park. For some reason I was soooooo in a hurry that I would turn it off in drive while running errands thankfully we lived in Ohio at the time which was flat.
Ginny, I have been experiencing something similar myself the last few days. I LOVE fall but as the cooler weather is settling in I am feeling alternately restless, anxious, excited, and sad (interspersed by periods of coziness and contentment). Not sure what is going on but those beans are certainly beautiful!
This is the 1st year I’ve ever had the funk! – I think it is because my garden experience was better than most years & I wanted to enjoy it just a bit longer! I guess I might need to take up an indoor hobby like knitting or sewing that would draw me into cool weather mode 🙂
I laughed out loud at your little one wondering if the eggs belonged to the cat!
Why not plant some edible flowers? Nasturtiums are delicious!
Those beans are beautiful. 🙂 I am wanting a flower garden next year too…I haven’t had a real garden in ages so I feel like flowers might be a good way to ease myself back in to it all…and my children never complain about flowers! Congratulations on the new car, that’s exciting! We are about to have to figure out car stuff here too…we have always been a one car family, but with three kids wedged into the back seat we really need to increase our space! I’m hoping we can do it while my hubby is home over Christmas. Off to knit! 😉
This all looks so pretty Ginny I’m sorry you have the funk. I love autumn too but feel a little sad at the end of summer probably because my husband goes back to school and we don’t have as much time together and usually my daughter goes off to college but she’s here until after Christmas and I’m really happy and I’m trying not to think about when she leaves in January and hope she decides to live here near us if not with us…it’s so hard when your little chicks grow up and fly the nest…nothing prepares you for it…
I love the story about Beauty and even though it was off topic I’m glad you told us because it made me giggle.
Deb
This post title is perfect.
Fall for me, in the mountains of Southern Colorado, is such a crazy mix of emotions. The weather is perfect, the garden is churning out food, the trees are flaming into color…and it’s all about to be taken away by frosts and snow. Sigh.
Maybe it’s due to the shorter sunlight hours, and knowing winter is coming? The humidity bothers me so much, that now I’m full of energy and want to garden, when before I wasn’t keeping up with it too much.
Those beans are beautiful!!
I often have an urge to pack up and move in the autumn. I think it’s left over from the school pattern of youth (getting a new teacher, a new classroom, new books, new clothes) or maybe it’s because the birds are migrating. I am looking forward to not watering everything in the garden. Since I live in the arid West, I have to water anyway to make something grow, but this year has been especially stressful on the plants with the extra heat. We have a gardening division of labor which makes me and my husband happy. I care for all the shrubs, roses, perennials, annuals and herbs I planted in the front and sides of our house; my husband plans, plants and cares for the large vegetable garden in back. It’s good therapy for him when he gets tired and butt sore from sitting in front of the computer (he works at home) and he doesn’t like me to interfere (although he does ask for my imput on what to plant in the spring). I do go out there occasionally and pick a squash or cucumber or two, but he does most of the harvesting. He seems to not take it as personally either when something fails because of bugs or gophers (our biggest problem).
the bugs have been so bad this year in the garden, haven’t they? the squash bugs really decimated our squash plants (the zucchini held on for most of the season, and we got a few pumpkins, but the rest of the plants were toast), and various brassica lovers keep eating my fall plants (cabbage, broccoli, kale) before they can get off to a good start. i’ve been feeling a little frustrated too.
the shift to fall always makes me turn inward, and the result is that i usually feel down for a little while. i’ve been coping with yoga and knitting and lots of time outside. i agree that it will pass. i hope it will pass for you soon!
i don’t get a fall funk, just a mid summer funk here. the summers are so long and so hot (115!) that by the middle of august i am just done with it all.
right now, mid sept, thing are cooling off a bit and it is nice to be outside again. in the upper 90’s to low 100’s. we are setting up the fall garden and i am willing to hang the laundry up outside again and the kids will play outside with out me saying anything. i just love fall.
those christmas pole beans are lovely. i think maybe we will try them in jan. 🙂 so beautiful.
funny about your chickens. and cat eggs. so sweet.
I am feeling the seasonal shift, actually wrote about it today. I kind of like it, if forces me to shift, to change the routine. This is good for me, I need it.
I think I must have reverse funk! My small, urban yard is mostly shady and this year I was in such a funk about it that I didn’t. plant. a. single. thing. and I’ve been sad about it all summer long and especially as Fall begins. Usually, I spent the growing season trying to find the things that will grow despite so little sun (and I’ve been more successful than I would have imagined several years ago!) but this Spring it was different and I’ve been so sad since.
I only wish I had a yard that would grow the things that bugs & caterpills love to eat AND a town that would allow even two to three small backyard chickens. Though you may be feeling in a funk, please know that some of us out there really enjoy hearing about your garden! But…I’m sorry you are feeling that way and I do hope that it passes quickly!
Oh that is so funny about your car. I remember when my kids were so young and I was so exhausted actually standing at my front door hitting the bleeper thing to unlock my front door and couldn’t figure out why it didn’t unlock. Oh so embrassing. I’ve just casted on some very fun Fall knitting projects! I love Fall.
Oh this is so funny, thank you for making me laugh once again! I have not been blogging much lately but catching up with your posts is always a delight. I had tears in my eyes whilst listening to Yo Yo Ma, I knew exactly the feeling of being followed by one, two or more children in our private and peaceful early hours, I loved the picture of you in the mountains 2 or 3 posts back, and the car keys story is so funny… (And I am sure the car is not too fancy. You are just too busy with more important things to think about.) The only thing in this situation I guess is to give the helpers a huge big feminine silly smile, and then give us readers a good laugh !
LOve those beans and the dress. So beautiful!
Maybe more “companion planting” is the answer. You know, one row of nasturtiums and then a row of squash. There are some good books out there on “companion planting. Don’t give up on those veggie gardens!
(Don’t feel bad about the car – technology gets all of us in trouble sooner or later!)
I realized finally that I always feel vulnerable when the seasons shift – no matter which season and no matter how much I love it. I take it as a reminder to shift inward for a few weeks and realign myself with intentions for the next season.
Also, love the idea of all flowers (maybe not so practical but certainly fulfills the need for beauty). I did that this year, we didn’t eat as much as I would have liked out of the garden but I enjoyed every morning out there saying hello to my flowers and the pollinator show was amazing!
The car story gave me a good laugh. Enjoy The Beauty.
I like your advice on the seasonal shift inward. Very good. Thank you.
that is amazing advice. taking the time to move inward is such a good thing, refocus and slow down for a wee bit. i am taking that advice. 🙂
I’ll third that: your advice to shift inward for a bit an realign our intentions for the coming season is spot on. We’re transplants to Seattle, and the shift from the beautiful summer to THE GRAY SEASON (the next 9 months) is hitting me hard this year. I can feel it coming. So, I think I will take Amy’s advice. That, and get out some candles for dinnertimes:)