Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

Frost came early this morning to my garden. When I got up this morning around six, the temperature on the porch was thirty eight. I thought we were going to make it through September without a frost this year. But, as I stood by the window with my coffee, I noticed a frosty glow to the grass, down by the garden. I stepped into my garden shoes and headed out with my camera to have a look. Yes, there was frost on the flowers and on the grass. I am always surprised by the difference in the temperature between the house and the garden. Strange, it didn’t feel that cold, but the proof was there. We had our first frost. So, for another season the flowers are gone. Counting the earliest pansies, I have had something blooming for nearly six months. That isn’t too bad for Maine! Time to clean up the beds, bring in the tomato cages and stakes, and start to plan for next spring.

Besides the autumn poets sing,
a few prosaic days.
A little this side of snow
and that side of haze.
Emily Dickinson

This photo was taken on an early sunday morning walk. The sky was bright, the wind howled through the trees, and the leaves flew. That hour in the woods was one of those nearly perfect experiences when everything was just right.

Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

Another shot on the garden stand! I lugged some of my old canning jars out for a photography session yesterday. These old jars have some history, and don’t you just wonder what they have held over the years? They have not worked since I got them, guess you can say they are retired now.
That tall one came from a farm in Hebron, Maine where my daughter used to live. It says Atlas Easy Seal. I didn’t notice until I took it out in the sun that the color has aged to a very light apricot. There is no date on that one.
The robin’s egg blue one came from a house sale in North Windham, Maine. Tight Seal is written in large letters, and on the bottom of the jar this line is printed. Patented on July 14, 1908.
I found the pint jar in a bottle dump down in the woods behind our house. The writing on this one says Atlas Strong Shoulder Mason. The glass is still clear, so it might not be that old.
Does anyone else collect old jars like this? Another thing I always wondered about, has anyone ever seen a really old cobalt canning jar? I know cobalt glass was used for medicine bottles, so it may have been used canning jars, too.

Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

Recognize this? When I was practicing with my new camera outdoors yesterday, this silver object flew by. The wind was blowing quite a bit, but the airborne jellyfish like puff landed for a second near me. I got this shot just before it took off again. The silvery hairs, for want of a better word, floated beautifully in the wind, just like under water.

Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

Here is my first try at a star block from this book. It was much easier than I thought, and the directions were great. I haven’t planned a quilt yet, just used some fabric I had to try a star. The templates are in the book for each pattern, and all you have to do is scan the page, and make the number of copies you need. This star took eight, and 4 more triangles for the corners. Now that gardening is winding down, I am looking forward to getting another quilt ready to handstitch. The name of the book I am using is Quick Strip Paper Piecing.