I must be feeling better the past few days because I’ve started thinking about a new backyard project for the fall. My seven-week itch (a really lovely, extremely itchy rash/hives) has calmed somewhat and I’m not cringing at the thought of spending more than 10 minutes outside.

Of course, it also helps that high temperatures in the mid- to upper-90s look to be over, replaced by much nicer 80s and even the 50s and 60s at night. As I walked darn dog Chloe in the back yard this afternoon (Chloe had back surgery this week and isn’t allowed off her leash), I got to thinking how the flowers in several of my containers have seen better days. Not to mention that the patio is really cluttered with things that don’t need to be there. Mostly gardening tools or accessories like pots, pails, cages and a bag of soil. Where I’m going to put them, I don’t know because we don’t have a shed and the garage is full with all kinds of things that don’t include my truck. (I do miss my old basement, as it was great for storing stuff.)

Regardless of my storage issues, I think it would be nice to try a few new flowers in at least portions of my current containers. While the vincas and strawberry champagne grass are doing fine, the petunias and something else I can’t remember the name of do need replacing. And while I’m at it, maybe I should try a few more containers, maybe even a few veggies that are known to do well in pots. I’m not sure what those might be, but I think a trip to the garden center this weekend might help.

While most people look at fall as a time of harvest or the end of something, I can’t help but look at it as a new beginning. An itch-free (fingers crossed) start to a new season.