The fall equinox

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Today is the fall equinox, where the length of day and the length of night are exactly the same. From today on, the days will get shorter and the nights will get longer. The sun will rise and set farther and farther in the south until it reaches its shortest arc on the day of the winter solstice, which this year will be on December 22nd. And as the angle of the sun's rays slant more and more, there will be much less warmth from the sun.

Here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, that's a good thing, as it gets uncomfortably hot in the summer. The fall, winter, and spring are the times when the tourists visit and pay large amounts of money to play golf and splash around in swimming pools because for most of the rest of the country, the colder temperatures are uncomfortable. But here in the Phoenix, Arizona, area, the temperatures in the fall and spring are that beautiful "Chamber of Commerce" weather of the mid-seventies.

This is the time for planting here. I'm planting lots of flower seeds this year, and also coleus. Some I have sown directly into the ground, topped lightly with Seed Starter™ potting soil, some I have planted in a small flat designed for seed starting, some I have planted in various little pots that I have improvised from stuff I found around here. I even am experimenting with starting seeds in a damp paper towel. Yes, I've been watching YouTube videos!

This is the time that we have been waiting for here in the desert. It seems like it took forever, but it always seems that way here.

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