Summer to Autumn

All of a sudden, it is autumn.  Last week was hot.  As in, record setting high temperatures HOT.  On Wednesday, a brief playtime in the back yard with Tasha had us all sweaty curls and mosquito bites.

On a side note, the walnuts are falling fast and Lila, convinced they are tennis balls, gathers them and tries to entice Tasha to chase.  Tasha is not so interested in the walnuts but she will always oblige with a bit of a chase.  (Excuse the overgrown weeds and dead grass, we can't keep up with our lower yard.)

Then, along with Labor Day weekend, which somehow feels like the beginning of autumn, the temperatures dropped.  On Saturday Lila helped Daddy transfer some newly brewed beer to the secondary carboy.  First they had to sterilize everything.

Helping to hold the siphon is serious business.

It's sort of magical to watch her become this independently willed person who knows what she wants to do.  Lately, she wants to be involved in everything we do.  So long as she can do that, she's a happy little bear.

I love that she now needs a barrette to keep her hair off her face.  I also love how she wants to pick out the color and holds very still so I can put it in for her.  So sweet.

We were inspired by the autumnal weather to do autumnal things so we made a batch of apple butter.  Yum.

And for tonight, chicken squash chili is underway.

Speaking of squash, the good news is that my vines are finally flowering.

The bad news is that squash bugs have arrived.  I found three feasting on my one little baby squash and when I flicked them off, the poor little damaged squash fell off as well.  There is another female flower bud on that vine now so there is still a chance for harvest.  I actually pruned off a side vine and some of the male flower buds in hopes of getting the female flower to bloom quicker and survive.  I have no idea if that was smart or not but I figure the way things are going, I'm not getting much if any squash anyway so it's a little garden experiment.  I'll also be out there squashing bugs as necessary and checking leaves for eggs.

I'm torn between loving this cooler weather and wanting summer to last a bit longer for my garden.  I missed a big chunk of this summer and my garden's late start is evident.  I find myself already dreaming of next year in the garden and what I will do differently.  More tomatoes and squash and both in the ground asap, a new trellis for lots of green beans, a whole patch full of just sunflowers ...  But for now, this gorgeous day and chicken squash chili in the slow cooker.