My students are only 1/3 of the way through their school year, but have been working on plants that they planted "last" year. I wonder if that is the reason that the seasons of planting do not really make sense to them - they do not see the fruition of their efforts over the summer, so despite it being fall/winter, they are asking about the watermelons they planted in April. We plant some things now that they will harvest in the warmer parts of the year, even though I have told them that these plants, such as broccoli, carrots and lettuce like cool weather. Thank goodness for radishes with their short harvesting time - it is still very cool when we harvest.
As we pass into the fall/winter planting, I am, as always, grounded by the ebb and flow of nature. Looking at the blossom filled spring photos, it is hard to believe that the brown and barren areas are the same place. As our deciduous trees and vines lose their leaves, the citrus begins to bloom. The first tiny bit of rain, and grasses begin to grow again. With the loss of leaves, the remaining now-raisins on our native California grape attract migrating birds, giving us new temporary sky residents to take the place of butterflies, fig beetles and flies.
When one is so involved in nature, I believe that it is easier to see harmony and purpose in the world. Because nature is pretty brutal - but along with all those deaths, insect invasions, rampant disease and predatory animals, there is, each season, a renewal, a rebirth, a survival. So I bid goodbye to this year of abundance, while preparing for another, looking forward to once again seeing the fruit trees beginning to bud out, the California poppies to bloom, and my students, returning from winter break, astonishingly taller.