Category: California Living

Inspired by the Colors of Autumn

Autumn has arrived in California’s wine country and the leaves are finally changing their colors.

Inspired by the Colors of Fall

We wake up each morning to coastal fog obscuring (enhancing?!) the view from our porch.

Inspired by the Colors of Fall

We carry rain coats and umbrellas with us, never knowing if the fog will burn off or if it merely is hiding the winter rains.

Inspired by the Colors of Fall

Suddenly the idea that we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving doesn’t seem that far-fetched. (It’s so much harder to imagine when it’s 70 degrees out!).

Inspired by the Colors of Fall
Inspired by the Colors of Fall

Everywhere I go I feel inspired by this brilliant display nature puts on for us each fall. The deep reds, brilliant oranges, and warm yellows that greet us everywhere we go.

Inspired by the Colors of Fall
Inspired by the Colors of Fall

We feel so lucky to live here.

Goals for Next Year’s Garden

As this year’s garden season comes to a close, I find there are several things I hope we do differently next year. Here are our goals for next summer.

October Garden in Sonoma County

Check for ripe produce more regularly. This year so many strawberries rotted on the vine because we didn’t harvest as frequently as we needed to.

October Garden in Sonoma County

Fertilize early in the season and re-fertilize often. Our tomato plants were especially slow to grow until we buried them in a bag of composted manure and then they flourished. Next year I shall do this in June instead of September.

October Garden in Sonoma County

Install an automated watering system, even if it’s just a sprinkler on a timer. Oh, the time we’ll save!

October Garden in Sonoma County

Be more proactive about checking for (and, dare I say it, disposing of!) critters. Remember our tree collard? We knew something was nibbling on it, but it took us two weeks to figure it out. Yesterday we found three very fat caterpillars munching away. Will the kale recover? Oh, how I hope so. Stay tuned.

And, yes, it’s the end of October and we still have strawberry plants flowering, tomatoes growing, and flowers blooming here in Sonoma County. Love California living!