time of tall grasses

Steve and I took a walk in a local prairie this afternoon. I am in a particularly raw state right now (more on that later), but the beauty of the October prairie literally overwhelmed me. I think October may be the most beautiful month in Minnesota: The golden low-angle light, the changing colors, the bittersweet hanging-by-a-thread of the last blooms, the opening up of long views. We all know what’s coming in this part of the world. But today preemptively redeemed February’s coming chill.

canada wild rye (Elymus canadensis)

dry ’em while you can

October snuck up on me. While it feels like fall, and is starting to look like fall, I have been too distracted with some minor medical issues (a severe allergic reaction to a recent medication) to notice that summer had officially ended. The roadside goldenrods, sunflowers, and asters are still here, and will probably hang on until first frost which could be any time in the next three weeks. Now is the time to get out in the garden and cut the last of your summer blooms and hang them upside down to dry. Won’t these dahlias look nice as part of a Thanksgiving centerpiece this winter? Dry ’em while you can!

dried pink and white dahlias

growing up together

Yesterday, Steve and I celebrated 37 years of marriage! We got married young; neither of us fully formed. We grew up together; we grew toward each other.

As many of you know, the last couple of years have been bumpy ones for us (not marriage-wise, life-complication-wise). I can’t imagine a better co-captain to navigate with.

They say that choosing the right life partner is one of the biggest factors in determining overall life satisfaction. We got lucky.

Happy Anniversary Stevie! I STILL love you, And always will.

Cheers to 37 Years!

Today, Steve and I are celebrating our 37th anniversary! So I am popping in just briefly. Cheers to long marriages, and heavily veined fall leaves :-)

Smoke bush leaves in autumn (Cotinus)

paused at peak expression

I have been drying the last of the summer blooms as fast I can. I have found that if I put them in my dehydrator on a very low temperature setting, the colors hold. I plan to use these specimens as props in my workshops this winter. I don’t mind letting students manhandle my beautiful collections because they would be mostly faded by next spring anyway. The ephemerality is part of beauty.

assorted dried garden flowers