Summer break is over!

There just isn't much to blog about for me from June through the Equinox. All of the blogs will sound the same-- "Gee, it sure is hot here... 30 days in a row over 110˚... lots of dust, no rain, still hot.. etc" But now that the weather has cooled enough to go outside in the mornings and evenings and my annual desire to give up this crazy farming stuff has passed, I'm back. :)

A recap of recent events:
Fall planting is getting started. I've put in lots of lettuces, carrots, beets, herbs, peas, parsnips and flowers with more to get planted in mid-October. I'm really going to focus on keeping the gardens well-mulched as a step to help improve soil and plant quality for the long haul.

A few of the people that came to the seed swap

I hosted a seed swap for the Valley Permaculture Alliance (as well as my monthly "Raising Chickens" classes for them and other organizations). I love seed swaps. They are a dream for someone with a seed habit as serious as my own, but it's also great to share with brand new gardeners and watch them get excited when they find out what all they can grow.

In neighborhood news: For those of you that read the post a few months back about the people in my neighborhood, you may be interested to know that the mosquito has added to his impressive bicycle fleet and now has a very homemade bmx-ish bicycle built for two. No more hauling the wife around on the modified wheelbarrow attached to the back of his (sort-of) regular bike. Though the one time I've seen him on it he was alone. We also have a new addition whom I'll call the operatic jingleman. He scoots around the neighborhood in a motorized wheelchair on trash pick-up day and grabs things (recycleables maybe?) out of the trash cans with one of those claw-on-a-stick things, all the while belting out what seem like old commercial jingles or tv theme songs. As hard as it may be to believe, I don't think he's crazy, he seems more like he's just out having a good time and thrilled about autumn.