This past weekend we took Abby and Maddy to Gainesville for the University of Florida’s homecoming weekend. Kim and I are both graduates of UF and prior to having kids we used to regularly attend the homecoming games with one of my best friends from college. This year we decided it was time to get back into the tradition and bring the girls along.

We got to the game early and took them on a big walking tour of our old haunts. My old dorm is still there (which is a little surprising, because when I moved in some 27 years ago, I vaguely remember the freight elevator catching fire…). Kim’s old dorm is gone, but all of our classroom buildings are there, so we showed the girls the student center, the computer science building, the college of liberal arts and sciences, and a variety of other places on campus that we enjoyed.

And then it was time for the big game. I could tell the girls were a little overwhelmed. It was loud, there were lots of people shouting and hollering, and to be honest, they don’t really know a ton about football. But they had a great time. Admittedly, the Gators didn’t play that well, which has sort of been the case for quite a few years now, but the team did pull out a win.

What really kept the girls entertained were the cheerleaders and the Gator dance team, The Dazzlers. That was apparently Abby’s big takeaway from our weekend. She wants to attend UF to be a Dazzler. I tried to remind her that we showed her all of the fun places that we went for classes, where we had a great educational experience. Yeah – she didn’t care. The Dazzlers get to wear dresses and toss their hair around, who cares about silly classes.

That’s OK. Both girls have plenty of time to make their college decisions. It was a great weekend as we rekindled old traditions and made some new ones as well.

While game-day temps were a little on the warm side, some of the coolest temps we’ve seen since May are coming our way over the next few days. We’re ready to help you make the most of them. First, this weekend is our Container Gardening Seminar. Come out at 10am Saturday to learn all about creating and planting beautiful fall combinations for your porches and patios. And of course, the Pumpkin Wall is on display for you to take this year’s fall family photo. For a little extra Fall Fun, ask for a scarecrow scavenger hunt sheet when you are in the nursery. If you can find all of the scarecrows that the staff created, you’ll get a little garden treat.

Finally, I have to end with a, well, let’s call it a friendly reminder. With so much fun going on, it is really easy to forget one thing: to water your plants. It may have sprinkled a little over the past few days, but the heavy rains of September were ushered out by Hurricane Ian. It’s been a dry two weeks, and I know that even mature plants in my yard are beginning to look stressed. Don’t forget to water, you put a lot of energy into making your garden beautiful. Keep it watered regularly to allow it to thrive. For an extra reminder on the right way to water, see our Kerby’s Watering Instructions. Let’s make our gardens dazzle this fall.