Red Sky at Morning

Spectacular cerise dawn clouds, and the garden's rose-red-gold-indigo-purple flowers, otherworldly--poised and luminous--perhaps their last moments. Snow is expected tonight. 

Red sky at morning; sailors take warning.

The deep adobe Spanish-tiled windowsill is lined with Brandywine heirloom tomatoes, luscious and harvested yesterday en masse. A few more today. Have filled the bird feeders.

I staggered indoors carrying the large pot with tall, fragrantly blooming tuberoses, which are scenting the whole house.

Have been tucking various florifications into bed for the winter, mulching with straw. This climate is way-sunnier than cloud-gripped winters in Maine. Solar oven does yeoman service even at Christmastime.

Pansies planted in autumn astonish by blooming through snow melts and resurfacing in spring. Have tucked in bright pansy beds by the porch and along my neighbor's walkway.

Yesterday I also stopped by our large health food store which supports local organic farmers. Found the last of the roasted peppers, a Southwest/Rocky Mountain treat, and a few unusually pushy people, among general kindlier vibes.

First blast of winter headed this way, so stocking up. Funk for some--weather as personal imposition/inconvenience.

It's hard not to wonder how we'll manage if just-in-time (JIT) delivery falters. Supplies come in from distribution centers, for now, rather than being warehoused by stores. About three days' worth of supplies on hand. Shelves can fear-empty quickly in advance of hurricanes and such.

Root cellars with potatoes, winter squash, pumpkins, carrots, grains, beans and apples come to mind.

Had an interesting chat with a county commissioner friend yesterday. He had read
http://feastandfamine.blogspot.com/2008/06/7-fat-years-7-lean.html and spoke with nostalgia about his childhood--the eleven-member family's three acre garden, milk cows, chickens, their well-filled root cellar.

His industrious mother (and children) harvested their own fruit trees, then went "havers", picking neighbors' fruit, each family sharing in the bounty.

Another friend is enticing me to start up a community garden, come spring. We'll see if currently fallow ground is made available.

And then? How best to encourage folks through grunt work portions of the journey from soil-preparation, seed-planting and mulching, weeding and watering, to harvest.