We did get a cooler break in the weather, so much so that we had record lows several nights last week. The weather is slowly warming to more typical late summer highs, but the trees are starting to drop some leaves. It's a rather confused but pleasant change from the usual summertime dog days.

The garden has gotten a bit tired from the heat as has the gardener. Most of the bloomers have done their duty except for the frothy crepe myrtles, still flaunting large clouds of color as they will until frost. A few althea blooms speckle those shrubs here and there in the back yard beds. Most of the plants are in sober deep summer greens, growing more branches that need pruning. I had to cut back the crape myrtles by the street because they hung over too far as the first round of fall pruning.

I got the peas planted and more mulch on the garden. I finally gave up on hand weeding and mowed most of the worst areas, since there were hardly any vegetables left anyway. The tomatoes are reviving well and setting lots of little fruits again. I get a ripe tomato occasionally, but I'm still looking out for squirrels. The cooler weather has reduced the stress on them and they are evidently finding enough water to leave the tomatoes alone.

I have some turnip and lettuce seeds still waiting to go out, but that's likely to be the last of this year's garden. I've just got to improve this soil more before most veggies will grow well. It turned into a near-brick in most areas and the veggies just stalled. At least the compost is breaking down fast and the mulch is browning and turning fragile on the beds quickly. Only the small areas that got a heavy application of compost and mulch last year and this spring really grew very much.

I set out the last set of broccoli seedlings and have been watering them well. They look pretty good so far, and the white butterflies haven't returned yet. I'm ready for them with BT spray. The spring broccoli made a small crop for me, so maybe I'll get more broccoli in the fall.

The star block quilt is finally finished and on my bed. There are more details and a closeup of it on The Pet's a Star Quilt. The cats have both been sleeping on it after squabbling about who has the right to sleep there without the other cat there as well.

Rascal was the first cat to adopt our family, so he thinks he has first cat privileges. Mischief thinks he owns the bed by squatter's rights because Rascal also sleeps on Mom's bed and Steve's bed while Mischief usually sleeps on mine. Rascal is considerably bigger so he usually wins the fight if he feels like it, so Mischief has to settle for a corner of the bed while Rascal sprawls over most of the rest.

I also got another child's sweater finished. Then I decided to make the patchwork jacket's sleeves in a sampler of fluted knitting stitches. I'm doing both sleeves at once and I've gotten past the elbows and am working towards the underarm decrease. I changed yarn colors in stripes and waves to use up the last of the skeins, so they'll be as colorful as the rest of the jacket.