"Begin the hours of this day slow"

Gardening and blogging time have been in short supply over the last few weeks.  My fall garden "to-do" list is still very long!  There isn't enough daylight at the end of my work days and the weekends have been full.  As we approach the end of October, night falls earlier and earlier each day.  Soon I will drive off to work just as the sun is rising and drive home in the dark.   I'll miss the late fall afternoons with the sun shining through the trees and casting long shadows on the grass.

 My quick morning walk through the garden to take in the color of the fall bloomers is 

precious when the daylight hours are short.

And when I encounter a  visiting Monarch, as I did this morning, it becomes even more precious.

O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow. 

from "October" by Robert Frost


Carolyn at This Grandmother's Garden has invited gardeners to join her in walking in the Autumn air and sharing what they see.  I'm linking up with her today - please click over and enjoy the Autumn beauty.

"An aspect tenderly illumed"

Departing summer hath assumed

An aspect tenderly illumed,

The gentlest look of spring;

That calls from yonder leafy shade

Unfaded, yet prepared to fade,

A timely carolling.

- William Wordsworth, September

I came home from work Friday evening and walked around the garden, thinking of all the chores I had planned for the weekend.  I had my camera in hand, thinking I might take a picture or two of flowers or plants that haven't been totally disfigured by whatever is eating holes in so many leaves.  But what I wanted to capture on film wasn't a plant, it was the light.   The late afternnon light has begun to change as September approaches.  It makes me feel peaceful and wistful and sentimental.  Though, it's not something the camera can adequately record, the light is what I tried to photograph - 

I especially love the way the light filters through the trees.

Mums are budding - I should be seeing blooms soon.

These dogwood leaves have already turned - maybe the dogwood is as eager for autumn as I am.

The lone coreopsis bloom.  I'm hoping for another flush of blooms before they fade away.

The zinnias are standing tall.   I sowed some seeds late and the birds are eating the blooms even before they open.   (Notice the light through the trees in the background.)

The sun had almost set when I  took this picture, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of the moonflower blooms.

The temperature won't feel a thing like fall this week - the forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 90s with no rain.  But September will be here and cool, crisp air can't be too far in the future!