Charmlee Moonlight Hike - 12My day work as a computer and new media consultant and several family commitments have kept me out of the garden a lot lately. This is a pretty usual situation, but sometimes I sneak out into the garden after dinner to do a few small tasks. No matter the envy-producing weather that Los Angeles benefits from, time (and darkness) wait for no man.

The temperature is fine, but the sun has gone long before I can get my act together and into the garden. After such a long and hot Summer it is easy to forget the the seasons roll on regardless. If I want to get anything done at this time of year, I think it will mean setting up my work lights. That said, pruning by halogen work light isn’t the most effective method. The plants always look little worse for wear in the morning sun.

Each school semester, our family gets a little crazed. My wife is an in-demand adjunct college professor, my son has after school activities and I am trying to fit family commitments around carting him to and from school and such. Blah! I hope I can get to some things before the holidays arrive, but they might be the next big chunk of time I have to clean up the garden before the New Year.