We raked our tushes off yesterday and our muscles are sore. But the corral and the back forty look better. In the past few days nearly all of our trees have lost their leaves. The oaks are still hanging in there, as are the catalpas, but they’ll soon be bare. This morning, I looked at some photos of trees that I took less than a week ago and realized they are completely bare now. It happened very quickly.

We are facing fire warnings every day now as the humidity is very low and we’ve not had any rain in quite a while. I know I’ve said this before, but this time? I have never seen the rivers so low. It’s very worrying. And there’s no rain on the horizon for at least a week if not more.

A few days ago, these leaves were the only ones left on the big maple. Now, they’re gone.

A photo of the house as we came out of the woods yesterday.

It’s getting cold again. We’ll have to bring the porch plants inside on Sunday and Monday. The rest of that week will bring warmer temperatures at night, so it’s not yet time to let them go.

Lots of chores to attend to today; laundry, bill paying, returning a book to the library, watering all the houseplants, and hopefully, assessing what needs to be done on the Beacon Hill.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

I had no photos, so I just shifted in my chair and took this.

It’s a lazy morning after a very busy weekend. We’re tired. So we’re taking it easy today.

Alas. Our Mets lost last night. I had a feeling they might. We’re so proud of everything they accomplished, which was far more than predicted. We’ll miss watching them this season. They’ve been a source of joy in the stressful period leading up to the election. Thank you, Mets, for everything. We’ll be anxiously awaiting Spring Training.

I grew up a fan of the Detroit Tigers. Then, I lost interest for many years until Don and I became fans of the San Diego Padres. Then, when we moved out east, the Red Sox became our favorite team for many years, but unless they were playing the Yankees we didn’t get to see them. Eventually, I started watching the Mets. I love the broadcast team; Gary Cohen, and former Mets Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez. They’re smart and funny and they don’t talk for the sake of talking. If I have one pet peeve it’s the color guys who can’t shut up. I muted the Fox team during this playoff series. Endless, non-stop talking instead of just letting the game be. They should embrace the moments of quiet, as there frequently are during baseball, which is essentially a pastoral game.

Anyway, no offense intended for those of you who are fans of the Yankees and the Dodgers, but they happen to be the only two teams I truly dislike. And here they are in the World Series. I guess if we have to cheer for one it will be the Yankees, as they’re a NY team. We need some more distraction as we head toward November 5th.

Early voting here in NY State starts on October 26th and goes through November 3rd. We’ll probably vote on the 28th, avoiding the weekend crowds. I read something quite interesting about early voting. Voting early helps those who canvass for the candidates; they will know when you’ve voted and once that has happened, they can direct their last minute “Get out the vote” energies to other voters. We usually wait until election day, but this year, we’ll vote early. It makes sense.

I was finally able to move all the plants back to the porch yesterday. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep them going, but it was 77 degrees yesterday and it will be 81 degrees tomorrow. (What the??) Then it will get cold again. We’ve had a rollercoaster of changing weather lately.

I’m reading A Stranger in the Family, Jane Casey’s newest mystery. She’s one of my favorites. Then I’ll read another Greg Hurwitz. And Louise Penny’s newest will ship to me next week. But you know me, I always delay that pleasure. I deliberately wait to start it because I know I’ll have to wait another year or two until the next book in the series, and I want to prolong the experience.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

I love New England Asters. They pop up in the fall and their vivid colors are so welcome, especially as most of the flowers in the garden beds have died. So far, they have survived three nights in a row of frost. One more to go – tonight – and then the temperatures will get warmer.

I’ve had all the porch plants inside for 2 days now. I know they need watering, so I might move them outside – 2 at a time – to water them. Then back inside as soon as they aren’t dripping any water. Or maybe at the kitchen sink. We’ll see. With the heat on, it’s a lot drier in here than they’re used to. Next week, it will reach 77 degrees for a few days (!!) and the nighttime temps will be in the forties. So my porch plants can live on at least until the end of the month.

Oh my goodness! The Mets!!!!! I watched the game last night all by my lonesome as Don had a gig. The team came roaring back and won 12-6! I was texting Don the whole time with updates on the score. I don’t know how this whole thing will play out but I love this group of guys. They remind me of the Red Sox team that won the World Series in 2004; scrappy, enthusiastic, funny, lots of personality. And they’re genuinely nice people.

Anyway, I was exhausted by the end of the game from all the worried/jubilant energy coursing through my veins. By the time Don arrived home, I was nearly catatonic.

A day off today and back at it on Sunday evening – in Los Angeles.

Raking. On the agenda. Lots and lots of raking to do in those areas where we don’t want too many leaves on the grass. The back forty we leave be. But the driveway and parking area and part of the corral need to be cleaned up. Since the frosts began, the catalpa leaves – which are huge – have been slowly falling to the ground. There are several trees on the property that have lost all their leaves, especially the black walnuts and some maples – stark reminders of winter, which is just around the corner.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.