Namaste

This unusual stretch of fine, dry November weather is a real gift, and the garden is pretty much tucked up for the winter. I've cut back the dead perennials and vines, rough-pruned the roses and mulched all the flower beds, with carts and carts of maple leaves.

Sadly, that big tree across the street that gives us so much shade and beauty is slowly dying.  I hope it hangs on for a few more years.

Anyway, the beds are mulched for the winter and what a nice sight, tidy and messy in a good way.  Now the plants settle down and the organisms get to work beneath that mulch.  Next March, Lord willing, I'll be out there again with my rake to pull it off and admire the fresh crop of worms beneath.

What did you do with your "extra" hour on Sunday morning?  How ridiculous, changing the clock every 6 months and upsetting our body rhythms. No one likes it, but compared to the dreaded "spring ahead," most people prefer to "fall back." Those who can sleep in, that is.

Sunday I woke up at the usual time, of course, which was 3:30 am. We ate breakfast early and were starving by 10 am.  But I put the long sunny morning to good use and cleaned the windows inside and out, dusted every level surface I could reach, including the mini blinds, the most tedious housework chore. Adding to the aggravation, one of them got stuck in the pulled-up position, but John managed to wrench it down.

The house looked bright and clean all afternoon, a nice reward for my hard work! But soon it will be too dark to notice much dust.