"September morning still can make me feel this way . . . "

Well, here it is September . . .  a month in which thirty days shall pass, a month whose very name and implications (due to its timing in the calendar) has inspired song lyrics such as, "Try to remember, the kind of September . . . ", "Oh, let us make a pledge to meet in September . . .",  "September morning  still can make me feel this way . . . " and "By order, summer lingers through September, In Camelot . . . ".

As a gardener, I am in cahoots with the things which I grow in my urban terrace garden (including herbs, vines, flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees) in that I am not a fan of the heat of summer; however, we (the things I grow in my garden and myself) do like the longer hours of sunlight that summer brings, and we are always a bit sad with the shorter amount of daylight hours which is brought on by the fall season.

Since today is September 1st, the reality that the days of longer sunlight are coming to a close is looming over us, and so we greet September with mixed emotions. The cool air of September is a joy to behold in the garden, as are the autumn colors that will begin to appear as September moves along; but the underlying tone is often sadness, knowing that things in the garden will begin to die, or to hibernate for the winter ahead.

Now, if we lived in Camelot, we might be able to prolong the joyful part of the summer season since there, as the song tells us, "By order, summer lingers through September, In Camelot . . . " ; the possibility of prolonging summer exists: Ah, if only life could (at least once in a while) imitate art!

At least I am not meeting September by having to go to school (although in many places it now starts in August), for if that were the case, I might be greeting September with trepidation as my "friend" Dexter (from Jump Start, a comic strip by Robb Armstrong) seen in the comic strip below seems to be doing.

In fact for the past few weeks, Dexter has been trying to avoid the inevitable onset of September altogether; which is evidenced by the comic strips posted below.

August 17th 2011:

August 19th 2011:

August 20th 2011:

August 22nd 2011:

August 23rd 2011:

August 25th 2011:

August 26th 2011:

Dexter's attempts to avoid the inevitable are a bit like mine at times; that is, I confess that I am not always accepting of circumstances that are sure to come, but the things which I grow in my garden have helped me (to a certain extent as I still have a long way to go), to heed the wisdom of the serenity prayer (a prayer I have heard over the years  in the place where I do volunteer work) which is "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference."

If I am very still, I can almost hear the herbs, vines, flowers, plants, shrubs and trees which are in my garden, laughing as I recall the serenity prayer; they seem to know how difficult it is for me to "accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference" — especially when it comes to how things are faring in my garden.

Indeed, recalling that even though today is only September 1st, summer, and the light it brings to my garden, is coming to an end. I know I cannot change this, and it makes me somewhat melancholy; for indeed, "September morning  still can make me feel this way."

And, as for you, dear reader, how does the onset of September make you feel?