In the Northern Hemisphere, we are one day away from the Autumnal Equinox—September 22. While I love this crisp time of year, I am always a little sorry to see a season end. (And, yes, I feel the same way about winter, too.) This summer, while too dry, was lovely nonetheless, with days that weren’t too hot or humid. At least most of the time. It actually felt like an old-fashioned Maine summer, the ones I remember from my childhood. So farewell, Summer! While I hope 2027 has more rain, I hope we have the same lovely temperatures.
Yesterday, I took some pictures of our yard and road to chronicle the changing season.
The coleuses are still thriving and will continue to do so until a hard frost nips them.
But I have stopped deadheading the flowers, and now that summer is coming to an end, they are free to be their rangy, spiky selves.
The begonias are doing well, too, and provide a welcome burst of color by the front door.
As for the gardens…well, we are heading toward late September, and as always, the plants are pretty much done blooming for the year. The picture below gives readers a pretty good idea of what the gardens look like. (Oh, the phlox was so beautiful this summer!) Readers can also see the progress on the house. The new siding is up, and the window frame is patched. Next comes the painting.
While the gardens are in decline, the trees, with just a tinge of color, are beginning to gear up for their autumn glory. I went to the end of our driveway and took this picture of our road. Still a lot of green, but there is a slight blush of color.
And in our driveway, a little color, too, a preview of what will come when the leaves coat the driveway in a thick carpet. Then we turn to our trusty leaf blower—electric, of course—to help clear the driveway.
But that’s a couple of weeks away.
*********************************************************************
Reading
I had planned to keep a monthly book log, but as I thought about my birthday challenge—70 books by 70—it seemed better to list them by the week. That way, I can go into them with a little depth without having readers’ eyes glaze over from too much information.
Book 1 of my 70 by 70 challenge
John of John by Douglas Stuart
Warning: Minor Spoilers
John-Calum (Cal) has graduated from art school, but unable to find a job, he couch-surfs at his friends’ homes and steals food from them when they are away. Therefore, when Cal’s difficult father, John, summons Cal home to Harris, an island in the Outer Hebrides, Cal only hesitates briefly. When John tells Cal that his grandmother is sick, this clinches the deal.
So home Cal goes, to his angry, sometimes abusive father, his beloved grandmother, Ella, and the tight religious community—Free Presbytarian—he left behind for the sinful big city.
Cal’s father is a lay preacher, sheep farmer, and weaver with a true feel for color and texture. He is also gay, a fact he hides from almost everyone, including his son. Cal is gay, too, and he also hides this from his father and most of the island community. This tension—a closeted father and son—drives the story, dialing up the emotional temperature of the book.
I became totally immersed in the world Stuart created—the austere beauty of the island as well as the family turmoil—and I read avidly late into the night to find out how the conflicts would play out.
But I do have two major criticisms.
First, religion is initially up front in John of John and of great importance. But as the story progresses, religion is pushed to the back burner to make way for Cal’s and John’s issues. The minister is never more than a one-dimensional figure, and while the church is featured from time to time and even causes a violent confrontation between Cal and John, it just doesn’t get the time it should in this story. After the chains-in-the-playground incident—put there to stop kids from playing on Sunday—I wanted much more about the Free Presbyterians, a group I had never heard of until I read this book.
Second, John is a violent, angry father who still beats his twenty-two-year-old son. Yet it felt as though the reader was supposed to root for John’s search for self-actualization in the book’s concluding chapters. While I had some sympathy for John and his conflicts, I found I couldn’t cheer him on as he tries to come to terms with his sexuality. Stuart made him too hard and too abusive. In short, John is a real canker.
But I was with Cal—sometimes selfish, sometimes good-hearted— all the way, even when he made bad choices. And it was this sympathy that kept me reading.
Both the coleus and begonias have grown beautifully. I love the colorful foliage and bright blooms.
Clif has done great job.
Thanks so much! Those colors really brighten our shady yard.
I guess it’s time to let summer go, hard as it is. I agree it was a summer like the ‘good ol’ days. 😍
Clif did a nice job on the siding and your coleus is stupendous!
Thanks, Eliza! Time to say farewell to sweet summer and welcome brisk fall.
I always admire your practical approach to the seasons, Laurie. Your coleus is stunning! Well done, Clif, on getting the siding and the window repairs done before the weather changes. I enjoyed the photo of your quiet road and the emerging colors of fall.
Thank you for your book review. I witnessed some horrific abuse as a child, outside of our home, so this book would not be for me.
I love all the seasons. I really do, and it makes me sad to say farewell to each one. Yes, it probably would be better to skip John of John if you have witnessed horrific child abuse outside your home.
I know many people miss the seasonal changes when they move to a place like California or Hawaii. We did when we first moved here from Canada. We have seasonal shifts, of course, but subtle compared to Maine.
Summer was wonderful this year with very little humidity… and fall, though early… is perfect right now. Most of our backyard trees are turning already which is lovely but I wish they’d held off a bit. We have southern friends coming up the end of October and everything will probably be bare.
🍁
Wow, early! Still, bare trees are lovely, too, albeit in a more quiet way.
It’s feeling like fall around here too. Highs in the 60s today and maybe all week. And it’s raining. It’s been raining since last Friday.
My garden is done, even the zinnias that usually are pretty until the first frost are moldy and bug ridden. I’m thinking about starting fall cleanup early. But there are still some pretty things. The sedum is nice and pink. I found a little California poppy in the midst of my moldy wildflowers. I think I will try to transplant that little plant over to the perennial garden. Maybe some of the coriopsis that came up in the wildflower annual garden too. We’ll see. For sure I will try to save the poppy.
The trees here have that tinge of brown/red/orange…they are still green, but you can see an undertone of what is coming. I saw on Facebook that this time last year there was a thick coat of catsura tree leaves already on the ground. Must have had an early frost.
I love all these changes in your garden Laurie and how the leaves are beginning to change colour down your road. On our side of the ocean, the trees are at a similar stage 🍃💛🍂 xxx
Welcome, autumn!
The bright pops of coleus and begonias against the fresh siding look so lovely! Calling out the father as a ‘canker’ in John of John was such a refreshingly candid review—it really is hard to root for self-actualization when a character crosses that line of abuse. Happy Autumnal Equinox, Laurie!
Hello there. Before you know it, snow gauge Clif will be posing for photos once again.
We have a little while to go!
Fall is definitely here. It was 39℉ when I made coffee yesterday morning. I even had my electric fireplace on for a little white last evening. My begonias are still big and bold too, and we’re in drought conditions also.
We have turned on our heat pumps, mostly mornings and evenings.
Your garden is still full of colour and as you move to the new season.
As to the book, it is not one I would move to pick up. I will refrain to commenting on the ‘Wee Frees’ as the Free Church of Scotland is known in public.
Now you certainly have me intrigued about the church. I get the feeling the church is very rigid and strict, and there is a bit of that in the book. But I wanted more, especially as I had never of them. And I wanted more discussions.
Yes you are right, to a ridiculous level . There was a case years ago now of a Free church Member of Parliament who went to the funeral of a Catholic colleague and got kicked out of the Free church. That is really all you need to know!
There are churches like that here, too. Hard to imagine in this day and age, but there you are.
I like autumn but I will really miss the summer as I couldn’t make full use of it this year at all.
I certainly understand!
Writing on an early spring day with yesterday’s temperatures having reached 33C by noon (!) it is lovely to see your early autumnal tones . . . but, best of all, I really love your wide and quiet road . . . what utter peace amidst all the greenery . . .
Oh, thanks so much! It really is a lovely road with two ponds as big as lakes a half mile the other way. I will take a picture of them when the trees have more color.
Ah, fall. I love my garden in the summer, but give me a crisp “wear your sweater and go get apples and pumpkins” day anytime. Do you have horses near you? I thought I saw sign on your road.
Love those begonias!
You bet! I feel the same way. I was wondering if anyone would notice that horse sign. Neighbors up the road used to have a stable and horses, and we would see riders on a regular basis. But they sold their house, and as far as I can tell, there are no more horses. Darn!
Lovely to get a glimpse of your road. It looks like a very restful, laid back neighbourhood.
Yes, we live on a quiet country road but not too far from town. A perfect location for us.
Goodbye summer (good riddance, as far as I am concerned–far too hot and dry in this part of the country), welcome autumn!
It’s nice to know that there will be more colors to enjoy in the weeks and months ahead.
I might feel the same way about summer if it were too hot and dry. But this year, summer in Maine was delightful, and I’m sorry to see it end. On the other hand, I love fall. Always something to look forward to.
It’s definitely nice to live in a place with different seasons! 🪻☀️🍂☃️
Your garden is beautiful and full of colors! I hate when summer ends it’s my favorite season of the year this summer wasn’t really hot in Lebanon as usual but regardless it was beautiful.
Thanks so much! Too me, it’s past its best, but a garden always has interest, regardless of the season. Hard when a favorite season ends.
It is good to see your garden. Thank you too for your book review 🙂 🙂
Thanks, Anne. John of John, while widely respected, isn’t a book for everyone, but despite my criticisms, I think it is worth reading.
Such a poetic title which your photos amplify
Thanks so much, Derrick. I have a tendency to personify the seasons.
The coleuses are still looking beautiful! I hope they are around for a while yet.
They’ll probably be around for another month or so. Until the hard frost comes.
I hope all your books aren’t going tom be tortured souls in the grip of joyless religion on a rainy, cold island. I’m just starting to use Goodreads after years of ignoring it, but my list is already a lot more lightweight than yours. Well, apart from the murders and the military history . . . 🙂
Oh, your comment made me laugh! Yes, I do tend to read heavy books, but I am going to try to sprinkle some lighter ones in the mix. I have Dungeon Crawler Carl in mind, where the eponymous hero, with his talking cat, tries to survive a dangerous labyrinth. 😉
I had to look them up. Dangerous AI, earth mined to death, reality TV – is he Terry Pratchett or Nostradamus? Certainly a contrast to your other choice. 🙂
Sure is! We shall see…
🙂
Well, it may be the autumn equinox today, but it could just as well be called the autumn paradox: it’s hot, humid, and headed for the high 90s before today (and the rest of the week) is over. On the other hand, for an hour or so this morning there was a northerly breeze that was distinctly less humid: a hint of things to come.
Your coleus and begonias are so pretty. I especially like the way you’ve combined the red and white begonias. I think the combination is far more interesting and attractive than only white or red.
Many thanks! But oh gosh, too hot. It Maine, we have had perfect autumn weather: high 60s during the day and high 40s at night. My kind of weather!
I wish we could send you some of the extra rain we’ve had. We were practically living in a rain cloud the past few days and the streams are full and flowing now. I love your hints of autumn. I’m seeing them here, too. I didn’t read your John of John review because it’s on my reading list. I appreciate the spoiler alert. 🙂
Thanks, Robin! Let me know what you think of John of John if you have time.
I saw that J of J is short-listed for the Booker. I often find Booker judges like writing that is too dark for me. But I guess we agree on *The Things We Never Talk About.* Good one.
Yes, dark always seems to attract critical attention. I am fine with dark, but I know many people aren’t.
Autumn is lovely, but I too am lamenting the end of summer as it’s my favourite season. That said, the daytime temperatures are holding up well over here right, but the nights and early morning are definitely chilly.
Your begonias look lovely. I’m not a big gardener myself, but it’s always great to see your pics!
Thanks, Jacqui! It’s been a little chilly here, too, but warm(ish) during the day. Perfect September weather. To the south, a nor’easter is blowing up the coast. We shall see how that affects everything.
Your coleuses are so beautiful!! They really thrived this summer. Perhaps I should get some for my balcony next year? Thanks for the idea 🙂
Thanks, Maria! Our yard is very shady, and the coleuses provide a nice burst of color.
I do love the colours of your coleuses.
I have mixed feelings that summer is coming to an end because it has been so hot and the tourists have driven me mad. The picture you share of the treelined road does make me feel homesick as the trees we have near here stay the same all year and I used to love the autumnal colours. Do share when you post again, showing their full autumn colours.
The coleuses provide welcome colors in our shady yard. I will be taking pictures of our road on a regular basis to show the trees as the season progresses.
I am enjoying some lovely warm mellow Autumnal days in the garden. I love your coleus! One to try here next year maybe. And well done Cliff for getting the siding finished before winter.
Since we live in a shady yard, coleus provides a welcome splash of color from late spring to early fall.