Second – and I fear, last – morning glory.

It makes me so sad; we have a freeze warning tonight. The low will be around 30 or 31 degrees. There’s no way I can cover this vine to protect the leaves and buds. All my outdoor plants will die – just for one night of freezing weather. Though it will remain cold for a few days after tonight, it won’t freeze and next week will be warmer.

The catalpa leaves will fall, as well.

I’ll bring the porch plants inside for the night, because they’re beautiful and full and I can protect them. But I can’t bring the morning glory inside.

Maybe this little guy will open today. There are so many buds on this morning glory, something I haven’t seen for years, and they’ll die overnight.

It’s very frustrating.

This will be short as I’m not feeling well today. Some good news: the technician came and said that the leak is repairable. He has to order a part and will be back in a couple of weeks to install it. I can keep using the washer and wiping up the excess water, as I’ve been doing, in the meantime. Hang in there, washer. And the same to our over 20 year old refrigerator.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

This is not the current view of our house. Today is dark and damp; leftover weather from yesterday’s rain. But I did take it a few days ago, so it’s fairly timely

At this moment, I’m worrying about the predicted low of 31 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday. Does that mean I’ll only see one morning glory? Because a freeze would bring the end for those buds. And how do I protect the porch plants since, as happens every October, the nighttime temps will go back to the 40s next week.

It drives me crazy.

Thank you for all the anniversary wishes. We celebrated by cleaning out the gutters in anticipation of Sunday’s rain. Pretty romantic, don’t you think? We did have some sugar-free ice cream and chocolates after dinner. And Don gave me a card. He always sneaks one in there even though we both say ‘”No cards this year.”

Tomorrow, we have someone coming to look at the washer, which is leaking. This has happened before, but I have no idea if it’s fixable this time. Fingers crossed. We don’t need the expense of a new washer/dryer. It’s the kind that is tall and thin, all one piece, and it fits in a closet in our bathroom. We’ve been told repeatedly that newer versions of this kind of machine are not as well made. Big surprise, right? We could resort to going to the laundromat in a neighboring town, if need be. Anyway, we’ll wait and see what the technician says. It will probably be the same guy who has been here the last two times.

Just like our cars, we’re babying it along, because we don’t want and can’t afford a big new expense in our senior years. My mother used to say things like “This is the last sofa we’ll buy” or, “This is the last trip we’ll make” or, “This is the last car we will buy” and it used to drive me crazy because it sounded negative and fatalistic. But I get it now. At times, I find myself thinking the same way. I’m sure my mom is saying “I told you so” wherever she is at this moment.

What else? I finished another book by Robert Hurwitz in the “Orphan X” series. Now I’m reading John Banville’s newest book, The Drowned, set in 50s Ireland. A mystery. He is a poet. I’m not sure I’ve read anything more powerful and evocative than the way he puts a sentence together. This is the second book featuring Detective Inspector Strafford that I have read. He writes other fiction as well, but I’m always drawn to a moody mystery. After I finish this, the newest Jane Casey awaits – another Irish writer of mysteries. Then back to Hurwitz. I have to read the “10 day only” new library books first. I have a plan. I always have a plan.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

We’re having some money worries at the moment with our washer/dryer and Don’s car. So I did something I should do more often, especially when faced with worry. I quickly wrote a gratitude list this morning.

1. Mere and her family are safe. We kept in contact all day Wednesday and into the evening when Hurricane Milton hit. Lots of very high winds and tons of rain. But miraculously, they didn’t lose power. Lots of tree branches down but the trees remained standing. Very, very grateful. Wednesday was a tense day.
2. We watched the Mets win the NLDS in the midst of all the hurricane worry. What a great game!
3. There is a new leaf emerging on my Monstera, even though I thought that process had ended for this year. Grateful for that surprise.
4. It was 34 degrees this morning and the heat came on. Last year, it kept coming on and shutting off immediately and we had to get it repaired. Sigh of relief.
5. I’m getting the urge to work on the Beacon Hill. In keeping with that urge, I cleaned Don’s mini studio yesterday, It was very, very dusty and I had to repair a few things. Grateful that I might feel enthused enough to get back to my miniature work.
6. I have plenty of books to read.
7. I love and am loved.

Just a quick dose of gratitude and it helps so much. We’re doing our best to wait for guidance.

I am frustrated because morning glory flower buds have finally  emerged on my vine and I think the cold will knock them out. Fingers crossed that they hang in there. We haven’t had a hard freeze, so maybe they’ll open.

Don has a gig tonight. We missed the Northern Lights again. Had no idea! So, again fingers crossed, I’ll try to see them tonight.

As I slogged through the day of the hurricane, watching Mere’s local news on YouTube, I redressed a couple of the dolls. I find that soothing.

Here’s Holly, looking quite beautiful:

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.