Fall.
I have such mixed feelings about it.
In college days the return to school was exhilarating. Football season, reconnecting with friends, new housing, new classes, new, new, new - so much to love.
Today it's more about cooler temperatures, putting the garden to bed, and the end of hazy, hot and humid August days. I still love all of that, and as a "returning coed" i do have a new class that i am enjoying.
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| Chrysanthemum 'Volunteer' (far left), Chrysanthemum rubellum 'Clara Curtis' (center), and Chrysanthemum 'Show Off' (right). 'Clara Curtis' actually came from our previous yard and has bloomed for more than 20 years. Quite a girl! |
But, i am not so happy to see all the flowers dying, the cooler temperatures, and the prospect of cold and damp January and February that suddenly seem to be just around the corner.
Guess i'm never satisfied.
And, then the chrysanthemums bloom - and love/hate is forgotten and replaced with only LOVE.
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| Mixed with some straw flowers (annual) they make the perfect fall vaseful. |
On faith I ordered a handful of "real" chrysanthemums in the spring - all in shades of burgundy and coral. Only three of them made it thru the summer, but what a gift! Enough to get me to order some more to add for next year.
With the last roses on the bushes, the last dahlias standing proud outside my sunny window, and the pansies just starting to perk up from replanting, there in all their glory are chrysanthemums ... enough to cut and bring in the house.
Heaven!
