Around The Corner Comes Fall

 It is that time of year when the kids are all back in school, starting school or college and there is that old familiar chill and crispness to the air. Well, unless you live in places that are hot like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Orlando and it is still hot!

Here our summer always starts without fail on July 5th of every year and usually ends the week school starts and the rain begins and falls well into summer.

However, I love the changing of the seasons, the cool mornings with gentle fog and the promise of rain. Yes, while the calendar doesn't show it is officially fall, I know it is around the corner.

This year however, with the start of school we had a few days of rain and then back into the 80's and this week-end even more 80's.  
Normally, I would be whining about wanting my rain back this time of the year.

However I planted (well, I tossed together) a small vegetable garden and tossed in watermelons and as long as it stays warm, I may get a watermelon!

I followed a Pinterest idea and purchase several bags of mulch, cut them open and stuck some plants in them.  I have gotten 2 tomatoes and they were so tangy and tart and smelled delish!  I have had 1 yellow crook neck squash, but the plant is bursting with little ones still growing.

My peas never made it, they just died right away. Perhaps the squash killed them, I am not sure but they died quickly.  I have about 10 little bell peppers just starting and I have watched one watermelon go from the size of a pea to about the size of a golf ball.

My pride is my front flower bed and while it is still sparse, it has given me immense joy this year and gotten me outside to water it and ensure it didn't wilt.

 This is just one corner. Hubby dug all the holes for the shrubs in the back and Diva girl laid the rock and planted all of them. All of the kids helped plant the Zinnia's, Geraniums and seeds for the Bachelor Buttons (which just bloomed yesterday) and the tall green plant that I have no idea what it is, but it has no buds on it yet.

The small flowers in the back are Portaluca's or what I call Rock Roses and others call Moss Roses. The Tomboy asked to plant them and she started them in a small plastic tub and as they grew she planted them in the garden. I am impressed because all I do is water and they grow!

Here you can see some more Zinnia's, Bachelor Buttons, some Marigolds, more Portaluca's in all different colors, there are Snap Dragons and I am not sure what the yellow ones are behind the potted plants.

I was extremely upset today when I walked out and found three mole hills in this area. I have worked hard this summer to grow our little area and I will NOT allow the moles to destroy this.

Prior to our move here, the previous owner had put down ground cloth, but those moles can root right up through it, so I guess I have learned a lesson and that is to cut out all the ground cloth from this area, lay down chicken wire, cover with grub killer, put down top soil and mulch and pray the young man I hired to kill moles can get the job done!

However, I am having doubts when the first two traps set 5 days ago yielded nothing but more dirt piled on them. If my cat used the litter box instead of the out doors, I would scoop some poop and litter and put down the hole or maybe Juicy Fruit gum.

Who knows, all I know is these little monsters aren't like the easy kill gophers we had in Arizona, but I am hoping if we catch one ad stuff it down the hole it came up it may deter others....

I am open to suggestions!