Autumn is upon us, and I haven’t talked fall television yet. That’s a bit of a disappointment for this videophile. It’s been mentioned before on this blog that I am a TV addict, and my last post on TV shows was back in April (“TV’s Goodbye and Hello”).

For the fall of 2009, it looks like we have somewhere around 35 new shows premiering this year. I doubt if I’ll be watching even a third of those.

A few of the summer shows caught my attention: Hawthorne on TNT, Royal Pains on USA and Warehouse 13 on SyFy (that’s the former SciFi Channel). And of course, I watched my favorite cable/summer shows: TNT’s The Closer, Saving Grace and Leverage, USA’s Burn Notice, and SyFy’s Eureka.

Now the fall shows have arrived. I caught the premiere last week of Supernatural’s fifth season on the CW, and watched the first episode of CW’s new series, Vampire Diaries. I will go to the ends of the Earth to watch Supernatural for what could be its last season; the teen angst of Vampire Diaries – even with the main teen being more than 250 years old! – may mean I drive a stake in the heart of that show. I’m giving it another ep or two, we’ll see. That’s it for the CW on my to-watch list.

Last night brought new eps of the above shows as well as the first new shows in returning favorites Bones and Fringe on Fox. I’m also a fan of the returning Dollhouse, and I’m watching the new Glee, although I’m not sure how long that one will last on my DVR. So I was glued to the TV for the premiere of Bones, then changed channels for another hour of Supernatural.

Next week is going to be busy – my DVR may go on strike!

Monday brings the return of Heroes on NBC and Castle on ABC. When the dust settles, my Monday’s will read: Heroes and Trauma (premieres the 28th), also on NBC, and Castle. Then in the spring, Chuck returns (hurrah!) along with Day One to replace Heroes and Trauma.

A number of other premieres hit the airwaves on Monday as well: Dancing with the Stars on ABC, How I Met Your Mother, Accidentally on Purpose, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and CSI: Miami on CBS, and House on Fox.

Tuesday, I’ll be watching the finale of Warehouse 13, the premieres of returning NCIS, new NCIS: Los Angeles and new The Good Wife on CBS, and the first episode of new series The Forgotten on ABC. And that about sums up my Tuesday evening’s lineup.

Wednesday, as far as new episodes goes, is a full night. For me, not so much. I’ll check out new shows Mercy on NBC and Eastwick on ABC, and possibly ABC’s Cougar Town. The only show at the moment on this night is Glee over on Fox.

Other shows beginning their fall seasons on Wednesday include The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds and CSI: NY on CBS, and Modern Family, joining Cougar Town and Eastwick on ABC.

Thursday is a problem night for me. Next week brings the highly anticipated premiere of ABC’s Flash Forward, and the return of that network’s Grey’s Anatomy and CBS’s The Mentalist. All of which means I have shows from 7 to 9 on three networks, plus one at 9 (what with Bones, Fringe, Vampire Diaries and Supernatural already programmed on my DVR).

Tonight will find me watching the season finale of Eureka. Next Friday, I’ll watch the returns of Ghost Whisperer and Numbers on CBS and Dollhouse on Fox, which sums up my fall watching for Friday. Other premieres include the new Brothers on Fox, and the returns of the CW’s Smallville, NBC’s Law & Order, and Medium, now on CBS.

Saturdays usually find me watching movies or cleaning off the DVR. Sundays I’m awaiting the return of Cold Case (the 27th) and the new Three Rivers (premieres October 4) on CBS.

Two other premieres that I’m looking forward to are White Collar over on USA (October 23) and V, a reimaging of a classic series on ABC, on November 3.

Shows that have returned or premiered so far in September include: 90210 and Melrose Place (yes, you read that correctly – both are new takes on old favorites), America’s Next Top Model, One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl over on the CW; So You Think You Can Dance, Glee, Cops and America’s Most Wanted on Fox; Saturday Night Football and 20/20 on ABC; and Football Night in America, Sunday Night Football, The Jay Leno Show, The Biggest Loser, Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Thursday, Parks and Recreation, The Office and Community on NBC.

Others premiering later in the month include Dateline, Saturday Night Live (the 26th) on NBC; 48 Hours Mystery (the 26th), 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, and Cold Case (all returning the 27th) on CBS; Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters (the 27th), Shark Tank (29th), Hank and The Middle (30th); and The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy and American Dad on Fox (the 27th).

October brings Private Practice, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Ugly Betty and Supernanny on ABC, ’Til Death on CBS, and 30 Rock and Southland on NBC.

Are any shows capturing your attention this season? What’s programmed into your DVR?

I’m off to clear off the DVR to make room for next week’s barrage of shows!

Oh, my poor tomato plant. When I posted “My Garden” at the end of August the tomato plant was doing great. Just a few days later, it was an entirely different matter. The leaves near the base of the plant started turning yellow. So I consulted with our resident expert (GRIT Editor Hank Will), and he thought aphids.

I was still searching for diatomaceous earth when, a few days later, the entire plant was yellow! Another consult resulted in the diagnosis of tomato blight. Ouch!

With a heavy heart, I trimmed all the leaves off the plant, leaving the remaining tomatoes to, hopefully, ripen. No new tomatoes, although there were about 25 or so pieces of fruit in various sizes. I’ve harvested almost all of those, and my kitchen counter contains a pile of red. Unfortunately, a few tomatoes had to be tossed, with strange holes. And since I’m squeamish about that sort of thing, into the trash they went.

This weekend, the rest of the plant will follow, as will the soil. And I plan to rearrange the garage so all my gardening paraphernalia will fit. A problem I never thought I’d have, by the way.

Now armed with a homemade pesticide/fungicide, I have high hopes that this particular problem will not repeat next year.

And yes, I’m already planning for next year. What can I say? I’m hooked.

The basil and the oregano didn’t do too well together, so I’ll leave the oregano in the current pot (letting it winter in the garage) while I plant a new basil plant in a new pot next spring.

The red peppers are still going strong – new blossoms have appeared, and if all goes as I hope, I’ll pull the plant inside when Jack Frost comes calling and have fresh peppers in a month or two. And a second pot of peppers will undoubtedly be part of the container garden come spring. Those red peppers are delicious, if I do say so myself.

The tomato plant will have a larger pot – and I do believe I’ll add a second plant, probably one that ripens a bit earlier than Brandywine – and I’ll add the wire cage from the beginning, training and pruning each plant as the season progresses. As you can see from the photo, my re-tying efforts were a bit erratic, so I don’t want a repeat of that particular problem. The homemade pesticide will also be applied from the get-go.

Guess I’ve become a real gardener. The roller coaster set of emotions were mine from the beginning – the thrill of new growth and a great harvest, the sadness of a dying plant, the anticipation of next year – and I’ve begun to look at gardening equipment in a whole new light. Too bad I can’t quite get myself to be thrilled about working in the dirt when it comes to my front garden. Maybe next year?