Yes. I can accept this.

I would just like to say, what the hell?

Last night I went out to the garden, in the dark mind you because apparently it's not summer anymore despite the weird warm weather, hoping beyond hope that there'd be a few basil leaves left for a final fresh batch of The Best Tomato Sauce Ever. Yep.

Because summer's over and all - according to everyone I talk to and the news.

And so I went, using our new outdoor lights to light the way (thanks Bubba! They're awesome!) and LO my basil plants were missing.

I moved closer. No basil plants.

But, MAN, what is all this shrubbery? And all these yellow flowers? And OH MY WORD THE TOMATOES HAVE LOST IT.

Oh, and there's my basil. Right there hidden totally underneath the newly enthusiastic tomato plants. Which, by the way, are full of red ripe tomatoes.

The things that happen when you walk away from a fall garden for a weekend. Sheesh.

And so to that I say, what the hell? (In a good way.)

I picked like 6 tomatoes last night and left about another 6 on the plants and I'm thinking that (HOPE!) I might have to celebrate this unlikely third harvest of tomatoes and the end of summer (eventually, whatever) with my one final Tomato Pesto Pie this weekend because, yummy.

This is the third round of fruit that these plants are putting out. THIRD. That's a lot. I mean, yes, I realize this can happen when you have indeterminate tomato plants, but never in my wildest did I imagine that I'd get more than two rounds of tomatoes. I mean, I usually just expect one big round and then a second wimpy round where I wag my finger at the plants and go come on you can do better than that.

I guess they're calling my bluff from last year. I guess they didn't appreciate my gentle ribbing. I guess they did know they could do better than that because, well, now they are.

Good times.

Plus, the basil is positively thriving, the marigolds (which are still ugly despite their thrivingness) are enormo and the chard is being chard. Which is to say that it is its own entity now and is claiming rights to back third of our property.

Of course my mom just decided to share with me the crucial fact that chard is not an annual vegetable. OH NO. It can last two years or more in a garden EVEN WITH FROST. Yikes, people. I am going to have to murder this plant myself as I won't have The End of the Season to do my dirty work for me.

That's fine. I have a compost pile that needs leafy greens.

ANYWAY.

The garden is experiencing some sort of Indian Summer/renewal and so I may have garden updates for a while. And maybe also pie updates if things go well.

But don't you forget to ready yourself for that end of year party at Finny's that we all love because I can see it starting at the end of my block already.

And, yes, it's only October.