Second Spring

In many parts of the country, this one included, fall is falling. Slowly but surely there's a crispness to the air that you can't *quite* put your finger on (but you are pretty sure it wasn't there a minute ago), apples look tastier than you remember, and inexplicably you start craving soup. The word 'squash' no longer describes the yellow and green varieties that make you lock your car doors and dodge your neighbors.

And I while I know that there may be a day or two of 90 or so degree heat on the horizon before winter settles in, summer's back has been broken.

But my favorite part of this time of year in this part of the country, is that it's a kind of second spring. Plants that went dormant during the hottest part of the summer are peeping their heads back out as if to try to see if it's safe to come out and play. As it has been raining for the past several days with high 70's intersperse throughout them, little seedlings are popping up everywhere and ca be seen frighting their way out from under the dry brown dead grass and foliage that has now been turned into a kind of mulch for them.

Horses in my neighbor's field, my dogs, the neighbor's cows - you can tell everyone is happy to see the return of milder weather in the way they have started running and frolicking again. And my long lost artichoke plants, victims to the crazy drought we had this year, have decided to come alive again. And so have I. Stay tuned.