Summer season is coming to an end. The calendar says we have a couple more weeks of it left. Then comes the long-awaited arrival of autumn. Most years the thermometer around here is slow to get the memo. We have been watching closely for signs that the change is coming, as if giving the natural world our undivided attention, just for a moment, will speed things along.
But it is not quite time. Autumn has not arrived at our house — not just yet. The pines and live oaks, ever green, faithfully hold their color. The air still hangs heavy with humidity. The cicadas sing in the trees. Cassiopeia the Queen waits for her subjects in the northeast at nightfall. The moon rises later as if to accommodate her. Almost time, but not quite.
Today is the first day of our new homeschool year. A return to structure, old rhythms, plans, deadlines. No gangbusters this year. No back-to-school bashes. No overstuffed calendars. No hoopla. No noise. Just a quiet start with family.
Lots to tackle as this summer winds down. An election year presents a golden opportunity to include American government in our lineup of subjects. A gardening hobby lends itself to experiments in botany and chemistry. Literature selections for the fall include Speak, The Scarlet Letter, and a bit of Edgar Alan Poe.
We are incorporating lots of videos into our curricula for the first time. Hoping this is helpful to my non-traditional learner. She does not always absorb information quickly or well using traditional textbooks and methods. Part of homeschooling is identifying how we learn best and adapting to that.
My fall garden didn’t work out exactly as I had hoped. The bell pepper plant is still hanging on and doing reasonably well, but the tomato succumbed to fungus. The pumpkin seeds were no good, so pumpkins will have to wait for next year. Plans to make a new bed for fall came to a grinding halt due to medical issues.
But we don’t give up. We adapt. Container gardening instead of beds. Learning by video instead of just textbooks. Small scale projects in place of grand plans. Plan A’s become B’s and C’s. Life is all about adapting. Our success depends on how well we do it.
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” – Stephen Hawking
© 2015-2016 Our Lives in Stories
Our Lives In Stories 
Our pumpkins came up volunteer this year so maybe yours will next year. I let them grow because I wasn’t sure what they were initially and our garden had plenty of room there. The chickens will like them. None of my zucchini came up which is very unusual as zucchini can’t be killed once it gets going. Everything else is just slow and now with cooler weather I’m not sure how much more we will get. Would love to have containers or raised beds in a greenhouse, but not quite yet in the budget.
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I hate to hear that about your zucchini! How odd that none of it came up. I am far down South in garden hardiness zone 8 (or 9, depending on which map one consults). Beans grow very well here in the summertime, but a dear friend planted lots last year and had not a single one produce.
On a hunch, I planted about half a dozen pumpkin seeds in small containers in July to see if they’d grow before I sowed directly into the ground. Nothing germinated. They were duds, LOL! I bought a new pack but could not get the bed ready for them in time because of my neck and upper back. So I will leave them for next year.
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I think that is what happened to my zucchini–duds! I hope to get some next year as my son loves zucchini relish and I am going to be running low. Our zone is 6 and it makes it challenging, but if I start plants inside early and get them out as quick as possible, usually we get a decent amount. I’d love to have a large greenhouse where I could grow year round, but that isn’t in the budget.
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I hope it goes well. American politics is certainly interesting at the moment!
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Yes, it is. Very divisive subject among Americans. No doubt the whole world is watching!
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We are! 😉
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Thank you! She is spoiled rotten.
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