Hello, beautiful October! So happy to see you! The morning air has a bit of crispness, and the sunlight has softened. There’s a definite slowing in the garden, but it never stops. It’s 24/7/365 in Zone 8b.

It looks like we have a bumper crop of acorns on the oaks surrounding my yard. I’ll be pulling up weedy oak sprouts for the next twelve months. We’ve had some breezy days this week, partly from Hurricane Ida’s distant effects and a passing “cold front.” (That’s a technical meteorological term, not an indicator of truly cold weather.) But the wind has cleaned out the trees, and stray branches litter the yard. And a jillion acorns are everywhere. (That is a technical term too.)

A butterfly clung to this dead vine stem for hours this week, even through the gusty conditions. I don’t know why it was motionless, but it eventually moved on.

I was thrilled to see my Rose deRescht blooming again. I should have immediately cut the blossom and put it in a pretty vase on my kitchen window sill. But no, I left it for the winds to beat the petals off.

The cooler temps have caused most of the elephant ears and gingers to start dying back, and my caladiums are nearly gone. The red “pinecones” are holding up pretty well, but some are getting too heavy for their stems and are drooping a bit.

This is the time of year that beautyberry shrubs are at their best. Some folks consider it a weed, but I keep it in check and enjoy the purple clusters on the stems.

For those of you who experience a real autumn, seeing lots of gorgeous red, orange, and yellow leaves, please know I’m a little envious. Ah, but “the grass is always greener,” isn’t it? And our Gulf Coast gardens, for the most part, are still green and will be for a while longer. The daytime temps are pleasant now, and I’m enjoying the little seating areas around the yard again. So we all have something for which to be thankful.

Shalom, Dottie