The End of a Season

     Well, its that time again.  The frost has hit.  The final harvest has been made and the last of the garden goodies are gone.  All that remains is a patch of lonely carrots snuggled in their blanket of earth. 
     The pickling, canning, freezing & preserving is done for the season....and what a season it was!  Pickled Beans, Carrots and Beets....Frozen Corn and Tomatoes.....Apple Butter and Pie Filling......Slow Roasted Tomatoes............and Salsa!
Yes, the season has ended.  No more dodging garden spiders while picking zucchini or trying to sweet talk the green tomatoes into ripening.  No more water to set or weeds to pull.  No more storm tracking or cussing hail.
     The Garden may be finished, but that doesn't mean the work had ended.  Soil Preparation in the Fall is just as important as in the Spring, so it is now time for the Fall Chores.  The Garden must be tilled and prepared for it's long winter's nap.
     A rich bountiful Garden has now turned into a barren plot of ground.  It's  bitter sweet to see something you've tended to and put so much work into succumb to the end of a season.  Then I realize,"WoooHooo, I don't have to pull another weed till next year!"