September 2026 started with very hot days and ended on the cool drizzly side. Remnants of the Pacific Hurricane Polo are sweeping across the High Plains as I type. The severe weather has stayed to the south in the Panhandle area of Texas.

So far, we have had a steady rain. The Big Garden rain gauge had .9 inches in it this morning and the rain is expected to linger another twenty-four hours. But it is the temperature drop that one notices. Mid-afternoon temperatures are in the mid-60s. (Fahrenheit) Thus a great day for indoor activities.

Some days it seems the only thing growing in the garden is weeds. But that is not quite true. The herbs are having a banner year. Basil, cilantro and rosemary thrive alongside the sage and spearmint. Legumes are also doing well. It is tomatoes and cucumbers that are a disaster. The two batches of pickles came from farm stand cucumbers and I have yet to make a single batch of the secret family recipe salsa.

Pollinators are present. Bumblebees, smaller bees and wasps may be fewer in number, but they are present. There has been a noticeable absence of wolf spiders and ladybugs. Also, the number of cutworms, grasshoppers and aphids are down. The late freeze after a very warm weather might be blamed.

Unfortunately, there is a plethora of ants. And yes they have a place in the garden, but their numbers are out of proportion. Late season flies are making an appearance and as the norm are becoming quite clingy.

A lack of book reviews in September 2026 is not due to a lack of reading. Summer State of Mind, The Lions’ Run and The Three Graces of Pearl Street reviews will post soon. All were very enjoyable and quite different from each other. I have one more summer read to finish before fall/winter reading.

Quilting continued to take up most of the time in September 2026. I ended up going with Option 2 from the August 2026 post for the quilt I am currently working on. The two borders I picked make the quilt pop. This baby quilt is striking with the yellows, greens and reds. The baby of the family will make her first road trip in October, and I hope to have it finished in time. Hand quilting takes longer than machine quilting.

I plan to revisit the topic of The Robots are Coming from the March post. My first glimpse of a fully self-driving car happened on the Nashville trip. Are we ready for the future? The world of the cartoon Jetson’s is almost here.