Indian summer arrived here in North Carolina a couple of days ago. This unseasonable warm snap has temps climbing up into the 80s in Cumberland County.

As excited as I am for sweater weather, I’ve got to admit: I’m enjoying this sunny interlude. The humidity has been low, and even at 80 degrees, it’s felt nice out.

The sunshine keeps luring me into the backyard. All week, I’ve been writing on the patio or prepping for our new garden.

Last Sunday, we cleaned up around the building. We cut down all the saplings, raked up years’ worth of leaves, and removed the sawbriers. We bagged it all up throughout the week.

The mild weather and working outside reminded me of the old folklore about Indian summer. Supposedly, the autumn warm spell got its name because Native Americans harvested corn during the “second summer.”

Since it’s folklore, I’m guessing it’s not true. Still, there’s a lot of sense in it. We were able to get a lot done while it was warm out.

We’ve still got to take down the trampoline and haul off a camper, but after that, we can start digging out the grass and leveling the new garden space.

With so much left to do, I hate to see Indian summer come to an end – but at least I’ll get my sweaters back.