Fall wrap up!

It is difficult to believe that an Alaskan lawn should still need mowing on September 28th. But tonight, I found myself facing facts: namely, it does. When the mower ran out of gas I decided I was finished mowing the lawn 'til about, say, middle of June.

The children cleaned up the playhouse and sandbox toys. The two adults in the house put the outdoor furniture away. All the fertilizer and hand tools were put in a plastic bin and shucked under the potting table. The bikes wheeled into the garage and hung on the ceiling. Only one task left.

Removing the perennials from my containers and planting them somewhere. At this point in the season, with my holding beds crammed with junk I couldn't do without, any little nook will do. I can't give up on my perennial grasses, even though I do write off dianthus, lamium, and other odds and ends I could try to salvage from the containers. But it's just too cold and I am not motivated enough. I have bread to bake and dinner to make and as my responsibilities loom before me, I turn an increasingly critical eye to what "must" be done to clean up the garden this season. After tonight's family time outside, I realize, not much.
Tomorrow, I write about Alaskans and duct tape and why in the world it is in my garden. Gripping.