Sunday - 219th

My, but it's cold! It rained last night, but only because we stayed a tiny breath above freezing. Tonight we will finally get our first deep frost of the season.

It's time to say goodbye to the scattered annuals. Because the nights are going to stay cold going forward, it's no use trying to shield them anymore. I love them for the way they carried us through the growing season, but their work is done. I pick a handful of nasturtium and cosmos blooms for the breakfast table -- one last reminder of how much beauty unfolds from one small seed, planted with the hope that always comes with spring.

Much of the day lacks a coherent theme. Call it a day of dabbles. I don't clean the house, but I clean the sink and I vacuum the play room. I do not work in the garden, though I do lay some stones. I don't take long walks, but rather I move to my 10,000 step goal in short bursts of activity.

Ed is taking a pause with his water heater replacement and so we have both heat and water for the day. I'm grateful for that and, too, for a functioning toilet! In the middle of the night, Ed whispered to me -- are you awake? the toilet is broken... Then, a few hours later -- are you awake? I took it apart and decalcified the fill valve. Not surprisingly, he slept in today and breakfast was very late.

Toward evening, I work on supper for the young family. Crunchy chicken, in the same way I've been fixing it for at least three decades. I do it with my eyes closed!

 

 

Both Ed and I deliver it to their home. He misses the kids. Masked and distanced is better than nothing.

 

And now we are home again. I've clipped all the annuals I can plunk down in vases. 

 

Time to retreat into the warmth of the house and eat our own portion of the same dinner. Comfort foods for a cold night. A perfect pairing.