10/21/2024
I am never fully prepared for the end of the gardening season. Even with the gorgeous weather that we have been having for the past month, giving us a full extra month of warm sunny days, I am still not ready to say goodbye to this summer and the growing season.
As I was harvesting the last of the peppers, tomatoes, dahlias and cucumbers, I was overcome with emotion inside my one greenhouse "LarDawg" I have named after my father. I frantically was cutting, plucking and throwing flowers and veggies in baskets, boxes and crates to get them into my studio before the sunset.
I was trying to hold onto what was left of this incredible year. I made a promise to myself back in January to really take the flower farm seriously this year and in doing so I have learned more than I thought was possible. I have learned more about timing, patience, loving sunsets in the gardens, but most of all I have learned to enjoy the process and the changing of the seasons more.
I look forward to a restful winter, dreaming about the tulips and peonies that will be planted in the coming weeks. I look forward to placing seed orders and supplies for the next season. Thumbing through catalogs and online to find what I want to grow next year as well as ways to improve my little urban flower farm.
As I enter into this winter, I am doing so with a heart-full of joy and contentment, knowing that the winter is needed to rest, regroup and refresh myself for the coming year. I look forward to a slower pace of life, spent with my pups, my handsome partner Torin, and warm nights cuddling on the couch in front of the fireplace together.
May we take time this winter for ourselves and each other, to love each other more and love ourselves even more than we previously have this past year. I look forward to seeing the bulbs, seeds, tubers and flowers returning next spring. But, for now, I will take it easy and work on my cookbook and enjoy a bourbon every now and then.
HAPPY FALL!!
