This Time of Year

Time for a rant. I hate this time of year. I hate it being dark by 5:00 pm. I hate the falling leaves drowning out my flower beds. I hate the cold winds that blow when I'm trying to clean out my pond. I hate the 1,000s of acorns that I'm constantly stepping on, sweeping aside, picking out of pots, etc. I hate the thought of that coming hard frost that will kill all my still-blooming annuals. I hate everything turning the same muddy brown and sallow hues.

Okay, I've got that all out now. Really, autumn has its few good points but I'm a summer person. Love spring too, but it is so fleeting here that I hardly get to experience it! Seems like we are moving towards only two seasons in our area instead of four - with a few brief transition days inbetween. I either am in sleeveless shirts or bundled up -- not much chance to wear the wardrobe choices I'd like.

For gardening, it is tough to deal with short fall days. I'm glad I'm working from home now and can get in the garden in the early afternoon. When I worked for others, I never saw my garden during daytime except on weekends. I had to squeeze in the time to get bulbs planted, beds cleaned out, leaves raked, etc., which makes it more like chores than pleasure.

Maybe we gardeners should join with the farmers in opposing daylight savings time (http://www.standardtime.com/). Maybe we should start a movement to set the standard work day from 9-5 to 7-3 like construction workers and other outdoor careers.

Maybe we should push for a national or regional "gardening day" every month or quarter. Yeah, that's it! A day when everyone can stay home and devote to get their gardening chores done. Those without home gardens can volunteer at parks, churches, schools, etc.

All right, back to reality and what we can do here and now. How do you fit gardening into your busy life, especially during these shorter days?