I just finished The Intelligent Gardener by Steve Soloman. Abigail Higgins facilitated the purchase of several books for our Homegrown group last winter. It was recommended by Mother Earth News as one of the books for wiser living.

Brrr! Mighty chilly Monday morning! I’ve been lulled into complacency with the previous six weeks of beautiful weather. I suppose it is time to take stock of overall readiness for the next season.

What a welcome relief to get a tiny bit of rain over the weekend. I was pleased to read in last week’s paper that September was the driest one in 67 years. I felt validated in my opinion. I was feeling quite a bit of anxiety over the droughty situation.

Will it ever rain again? It’s been over a month without anything amounting to much. Don’t get me wrong. The days could not be more perfect. Clear and crisp in the mornings with abundant sunshine all day certainly raises the spirits.

I could not be happier to see the first week of fall. It is so wonderfully cool and clear. The gardens are looking spectacular in this lower light. One must look, of course, with a soft eye to avoid seeing weeds and dead flower stalks. The wild goldenrod I neglected to pull now looks like I planned it. Once again, I shall take credit for Mother Nature’s work.

One more plus in the fall season — I found a parking space twice this week.

What a busy weekend for our family. We had a wonderful end-of-summer soiree in the vegetable garden. I was able to pick a boatload of potatoes to serve to the guests. I cut them into small chunks, added an entire stick of butter (no water) and steamed them in a cast-iron Dutch oven over a charcoal fire.

We enjoyed tons of vegetables raw in salads. Grandson Christian ground up some Canada goose into burger patties. Everyone brave enough to try them was pleasantly surprised.