California Dreaming

[mallorys_camera]

It always shocks me to find seed pods in early August.

It shouldn’t, of course.

But that’s the California Girl in me.

Seeds shouldn’t happen till fall, and fall doesn’t happen till September. That’s the way they do it in California!

While I was in the Finger Lakes, my cucumber vines withered and died. I can’t figure out whether the constant rain caused them to get moldy or whether their season was just through.

The Brussels sprouts are coming in, the basil is still going strong, and the peppers are fruiting. Not a lot of peppers, though: I think they prefer less humid heat. I have a few watermelons! And the collards will flourish till the first frost cuts them down, but I’ve eaten all the collards I want to eat for this year. Next year, I’ll mix up the greens, do turnips and beets, too.

I staggered planting the tomatoes so while some plants are dying, others are just starting to fruit. I’ll have fresh tomatoes through late September unless there’s a cold spell.

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If this were California, I’d be planning a second phase garden. Beans, probably. Lettuce, carrots, radishes. Stuff that would grow through October.

It’s not California.

Funny, but I’ve found myself missing California dreadfully the last couple of days. Seeing flashes of random street scenes. So vivid that I have to blink my eyes hard to make them go away! Always Berkeley. Though the Berkeley I see is a Berkeley that hasn’t existed for years and years and years.

Transience is particularly hard to deal with when it’s raining out.