Well, it's November

Down here, that means it's cool at night, sometimes very cool....and you wear a jacket to work or a sweater and then it heats up during the day and you forget that it's fall. Then the sun goes down. And, at night, the grass is wet and cold. And the air is dry. Some of the crops love this; the lettuce and other greens, the broccoli. But you think about the fall tomatoes, and the peppers, the basil and other things that will go with the first frost...which will be soon, maybe. You never know. It's kind of sad, in it's way. I see the flowers. When you walk near the zinnias they explode with butterflies. It cannot last.
I went out in the dark tonight with a big flashlight...trudged across the yard and into the garden to pick basil. Will was making a pizza and this was all he asked of me...it was little enough.
I clipped the middle out of one big plant and the scent rose and I stopped and put it to my nose. I remember this spring, when I picked the first basil and I thought...I haven't smelled this smell in 6 or 7 months, maybe more. It was heaven. So I tried to savor it out there in the dark.

Today, Will planted the garlic. It will over-winter, to be harvested in late spring. We will try to plant strawberries next week. Same thing. If you're not with it in november, you simply don't have strawberries in the spring. Wish us luck. We are overwhelmed with other things, and sometimes our plans don't come to fruition (so to speak). But the berries are a must. We have a 2-year-old grand-daughter and I believe it is imperative that she wander into the garden next spring to gorge on strawberries.

At least I know that these little greens will be with us, frost and freezes and everything, until we throw our hands up and plow them under next spring.