there is nothing quite like the smell of boiling hops drifting through the crisp, fall air while you work in the garden. i planted the tulips, hopefully in a spot where they will grow straight and tall, reaching for the sun. i trimmed the small ficus tree that is right outside my bedroom window, the one that looks to be grafted onto an old tree stump. i wonder about that stump - it is so huge; three people could probably stand on it comfortably. it was definitely not a ficus, but maybe an old friend to the cedars that fringe the border of the yard? oaks will get that massive, though something about the bark is different than your typical fl oak tree. there are two sprawling lantana bushes that have also prospered next to the stump, spreading their viney stems as far as they can go. no matter how much i cut away, they tower over the ficus and are still wider than i am tall. i like having them there, though; i am used to the shadow they cast inside my room at night.

anyone for some home brew?