Summer is having a difficult time leaving us. Here, outside of Philadelphia, the weather has been a roller coaster of days near 80 degrees and as low as the mid 50s. It's early November and we finally saw a little frost last night. There's still one brave, blooming phlox plant in my yard!

Honestly, I'm glad to see this summer go. My garden suffered in the heat. I barely saw a tomato, and my cucumbers died way too soon. And now, due to lack of rain, we're in a drought.

By now, Autumn should be in full swing, and true - the leaves put on a show, and left in a blaze. There are still some beautiful golds and reds remaining, but the peak is over. Every day, it's just a little different out there, if you pay attention: waning color and creeping grey. The squirrels are busy gathering (and burying!) walnuts from the trees. Chipmunks are under my bird feeder, their cheeks full with seed. They all know what time it is. But Nature isn't cooperating completely.

October is my favorite month. The humidity clears, I can work outdoors without raising too much of a sweat, allowing me to keep going longer. And the blue sky and bright colors is inspiring. This October though, we haven't seen a drop of rain here. We broke a record that held since 1874.

When I think of seasonal change, it's all-encompassing: trees, flowers, bird migration... all the movement and growth of local flora and fauna. I've been living where I am now for 11 years. When I got here, we were living in USDA zone 6. Then it was divided into 6a and 6b. And we were now 6b. This year, we reside in zone 7. What will this mean for how we tend our gardens?

The warming climate has caused trees which grew in one area to be slowly moving north, where it was too cold for their survival. What will we see here? Will plants and animals migrate to new spaces? What will our seasons look like? Will I still be able to grow tomatoes?

I don't mean to sound so gloomy. We humans fret about change. Some we can avoid, some we can prevent, and some is inevitable. I seek inspiration from nature and the outdoors. What will change bring?

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