Fall Clean Up In Aisle Seven

Cleaning up one's flower beds each fall is a labor of love and nothing else. Never a big fan of fall, cutting down flowers and plants that have already seen better days is a sad reality that along with fall comes winter, and I am not a fan of winter.

Spring and summer are the best seasons in northern Illinois; flowers pushing through the earth is the beginning of a rebirth of sorts each April, proclaiming "the best is yet to come." After a beautiful and eventful summer, the first freeze, and even the first snow of the season last week, cold temperatures have hit this Chicagoland area killing off the beautiful mums that remained. Fall clean up includes removing most of the plants, leaving the hydrangeas and grasses and a few other interesting plants to create a winter scape. Each fall several small cabbages are planted to add color that will remain until heavy snowfall.

October 22 is the official beginning of the Holiday Season in this homestead as Jack's birthday is celebrated, followed by a few Northwestern and Purdue football games, Thanksgiving and then the big one, the Christmas Holiday extravaganza. And so today the formally beautiful flowers gracing the front of the house were cut down and hauled away. White and red cabbages were planted and the area was raked. As the weather continues to change, the cleared garden will be a refreshing reminder of the wonder of the One who created all of this. And that a baby girl will be born into this growing family in a few months.