la nina.

Sun-fed sunflowers.

This year, La Nina definitely shook things up in the northwest. We had an extended spring season followed by splotches of cool sunshine, downpours, clouds. I mean, above and beyond what is normal. Contrary to popular belief, summer and fall are actually gorgeous here in Washington!

Blueberries!

Whatever the case may be ... La Nina, I shall be glad of your departure. We had a record eighteen minutes of 80+ degree (Fahrenheit) weather, all the way through August.

Now that it's September, however... Summer weather is finally, defiantly here. I feel bad for the kids who have started school already.

Spar with tomato plants and squash vines.

We have this awesome thing called blue skies right now. Quite the phenomenon. Makes people tired and irritable. They complain about headaches and dehydration. They go outside without proper sun-protection and fry.

Looking forward to snacking on these late-fall grapes.

Imagine the lovely salads... yellow pear tomatoes.

I am currently in a skirt, slippers, and a long-sleeve shirt. Comfortable.

You thought I was kidding, didn't you?
I am SO fashion-conscious ;)

I have been freezing ever since returning to Washington. I wear sweaters at work because the air conditioning is too darned cold!

California, you have done me a disservice. I mean, I had a nice tan but now it's fading.

Colorful carrots were scrumptious!

But boy did this weather create the perfect mix for a garden! Sunflowers are towering over seven feet tall, the poll beans keep producing, sweet peas by the bushel (which magically never reached the inside of the house?), strawberries, cucumbers, more than enough tomatoes to share with several families, and a bumper crop of both raspberries and blueberries. Rhubarb was a success ... the grapes will soon ripen ... squash on the vine ... and we're holding out with the recent turn of the weather for a nice amount of figs, too. The non-native Himalayan blackberries have been great this year too ... thankfully we haven't found any in the yard!

Blackberry heaven. Be careful of prickers, however.
Scratches from those itch for at least a week!

Quite a summer for garden-fresh produce!

Perhaps La Nina isn't so bad after all...