We’ve got some leaves here. No leaves left on our trees. Oh my goodness. I have a LOT of raking to do.
My neighbors, by the way, did a stellar job of clearing out our gutters and I am so grateful to them. We are very lucky to have them nearby.
I drove home with no stops, hoping to get to our post office to pick up the mail before it closed at noon. We arrived in our little town at 12:15. Darn. Packing everything up, going up and down the elevator countless times, loading the car, waiting to get Scout in the car before I pulled up the rugs – all of that took a bit longer than I thought it would. Meanwhile, Scout got increasingly more hyper as she realized something was going on. By the time we got here and she watched me unload everything and sniffed around her corral, she was exhausted.
I also think she misses the park. So do I. I’ve noticed by the way she goes up the steps from the den that she seems stronger. So little trips in the car so she can take a walk are definitely a must. I don’t want her losing that strength she has built up.
But we miss the park. And, though I was happy to be home, suddenly being done with all my work in Hartford and coming home to a house that’s been closed up and is missing my husband made me a bit blue. This transition will take some time.
But I have leaves to rake. And grocery shopping to do.
There must have been a frost while I was gone. I don’t think it was a hard frost, but it was enough to kill the morning glories and a lot of the zinnias. I did find this morning glory bud:
It’s supposed to get a bit warmer this week, so perhaps we might see one more flower?
To my delight, some of the roses are still blooming:
The zinnias in the barrels are still alive, though bedraggled. I’ll share some photos of them tomorrow.
And my impatiens, sitting in pots on the porch, without water for three weeks?
Still blooming. These are the same impatiens I overwintered. They are amazing.
I guess I’ll be overwintering them again.
The television, which you might remember was on its way to its final demise before I left, bit the dust yesterday. I turned it on and the sound was doing its noisy clicks and pops and then suddenly the picture went crazy and that was it. All I wanted to do, of course, was watch the World Series. I managed to register online with MLB so I could watch it on my laptop. (I could watch it upstairs on the old TV in our bedroom, but I didn’t want to abandon Scout so early in the evening, especially since this whole moving thing is so confusing for her.)
So, on the agenda: new television, washer repair and/or replacement (remember it died, too?), paint the kitchen, bookshelves in the den, and sort and organize each room of the house.
And read books I have to review.
And rake. And rake again. And rake again.
While putting away the food I brought back from Hartford yesterday, I came across a little treat that I hadn’t had time to eat before I left:
What a nice surprise!
It’s all gone now.
Happy Sunday.
It is always good to be home but I could relate to your previous post about enjoying your stay at your apartment. I have a weekend house and just spent 10 days there. I kind of feel like I am playing house, everything seems so much easy there? When you come home it is back to the routine of the daily life. Glad Scout is doing so well.
Playing house is the perfect way to describe it, Ann. That’s exactly how I felt!
So glad you made it home safely. I have roses blooming again too and we have had several hard frosts here.
I’m thinking we did, too, because the leaves are falling off the catalpa and it usually takes a hard frost to send them all down to the ground.
Claudia, It must be good to be back home. I think it’s a lot of work the first few days, always. Take your time raking. I have to help rake our yard too. It kills my feet to rake and it’s one of the outside chores I used to love. Blessings , xoxo,Susie
There’s so much raking to be done! First up, Scout’s corral.
Claudia,
So glad you and Scout made it home safely. Now it’s time to get back into the routine of being home. (Racking, dusting, clean up ugh!)
Sorry about your TV going “belly up” but you really didn’t miss any thing last night. Our Kansas City Royals lost miserably to that “California team”. Perhaps you could move the upstairs TV downstairs, providing it’s not too heavy, and enjoy the World Series tonight. (GO ROYALS!!!!!!!
It’s way too heavy – it’s probably about 18 years old! I’m cheering for the Royals, too.
Happy you and Scout are home safe and sound. Sorry to hear the TV died, my new TV is a flat screen and I love it since it is lightweight and I can move it myself…important when you live alone and are trying to be independent! So many leaves to rake but take your time and enjoy being home and outside.
hugs,
Linda
Our downstairs tv (the one that died) is also a flat screen but it’s about 9 years old and is heavier than the ones they make today.
Happy you girls are safely home. Bookshelves in the Den! You have been dreaming of those for a long time! Don’t overdo with that raking.
I was going to rake today, but it’s windy out there, so I may have to delay until tomorrow. The bookshelves are going to be very simple, the kind you can hang on the wall using brackets and those long bracket holders. I figure, why not just go for something and someday, when we have the money for a built in shelf unit, we’ll go for it.
I’m so happy to hear Scout has built up some muscle tone! Isn’t there some phrase about an old dog and new tricks that would apply here….yeah to muscle tone! Actually…it’s a good lesson for all of us! Seems all we do this time of year is rake…don’t overdue. When is Don due home? Enjoy your day! ;)
Don is due home in two weeks.
Sounds like you have loads to do to keep you busy both mentally and physically..Blowing leaves is much easier than raking..My shoulders don’t rake anymore…Welcome home!!!
Too much square footage to blow leaves, I think, Missy. Therefore, too much noise.
How wonderful that Scout’s muscle tone has improved. Some car rides and walks in a few different places would be a small price to pay to keep her moving.
Thankfully TVs have gone down a bit in price,,,, but still $$$. It is always something, isn’t it?
So it sounds like the Christmas list has been made……. TV, washer, book shelves. At least they are things you will use or see every day.
Supposed to be 70* here tomorrow…. then falling temps every day after. Might be nice there in a day or two for raking. Enjoy the last of the flowers. The Impatiens will be happy to keep you company for another winter! Have a wonderful day!
TV shopping Monday or Tuesday, I guess.
A couple more weeks and everyone will be home and getting ready to snuggle in for Winter..I’m glad you have a few flowers left to enjoy..We don’t rake as much as we used to..we let Mother Nature put the leaves into the soil to make it healthier..We are having wind gusts here of 30-40 MPH but it is a lovely day in Pennsylvania! Enjoy your first day home..
Oh, I leave them on the soil in the gardens – but we have at least an acre of grass and driveway and leaves don’t really help too much there.
I’m of the same opinion as so many others here—take your time with the leaf raking! Don’t overdo….those leaves will be there and so what if you only tackle one pile per day? Does your township recycle the leaves? When we first moved to the NorthEast, the first experience we had with the big leaf recycle truck and the elephant like appendage used to vacuum up the leaves was quite humorous to we southerns who had NEVER seen the likes!!!I realize those contraptions are undoubtedly quite expensive and only some townships are lucky to have them. What excellent news regarding Miss Scout’s improved mobility! All of your autumn projects sound enjoyable to me—but, then I am an oddball and march to my own beat. I do LOVE freshly painted walls, new bookshelves, and just generally changing things up a tad for each season. There truly is no place like home :-)
No, they don’t recycle. We rake them onto tarps and dump them up in our woods. Then they can be absorbed into the soil there.
So glad that your trip home was safe and uneventful.
It can take a bit to transition, even though you are glad to be home. After all the excitement it probably feels a bit flat. (Sort of like the day after Christmas. )
It looks like a lovely fall day in your part of the world. Sadly we have had nothing but grey skies and sleet here this weekend. Very dull.
Don’t overdo things trying to put everything to rights immediately. I’ve come to the conclusion that despite our best efforts, raking leaves and dusting are jobs that can never quite be finished.
No, it’s sort of gray and very windy here today!
I’m certain the woods and Mother Nature thank YOU for recycling the leaves :-)
I believe they will!
Welcome home! So sorry it doesn’t feel like a true homecoming with Don still away; but at least you have things to keep you busy! Looks like lots of work and projects ahead . I love the view of the funky patio every time I see it and with every season. If I were to ever visit your home I’d sit there with my coffee and we’d chat the morning away!
I was also going to say good idea of the walking Scout and keeping her active- having arthritis myself I know it helps to stay active. It might help her to sleep better at night too!
Use it or lose it, the saying goes. She likes to be as active as she can.
Glad y’all are home safely. Lots to do of course, but take it as easy as you can. Maybe you can take Scout into your nearest village for a walk around and a new view. Sounds like visiting new places is invigorating for your little girl. As it often is for we humans as well.
PS – re your TV. Do you shop around online first, Claudia? It took some time to research, but I got an amazing deal on a great little laser printer. Delivered in 2 days for less than $120. A year later, the original toner cartridge is still working, which my nephew tells me is incredible.
I was thinking of taking Scout to the area around our library and then to our little village one day and then to the bigger village another day. Today we walked around the yard because it’s so windy!
I sometimes shop around online, but I will probably go to Best Buy or some store like that and pick one out.
My printer is from Best Buy – and I understand a lot of businesses have online specials & sales that aren’t advertised in the stores themselves. So if you have time, it’s worth it to check online first. Good luck!
So glad that you made it home safely, Claudia. Looks like you will have plenty to do to keep you busy. A little surprise treat at the end of the day is always good :)
xo Laura
Welcome home! I still have some bedraggled pots of flowers that I can’t quite give up on yet…and my rose bush still has a few blooms on it, too. Instead of tons of raking, can you use a leaf blower?
well..HAPPY HOMECOMING!!! my husband does not rake leaves…he mulches them with the lawn mower…and we have one of the prettiest lawns in the neighborhood…so it must work…good luck on the tv and washing machine!!!
Welcome home Claudia! I think the morning glory bud is telling you the same thing. “Welcome back dear keeper of the garden.”
It’s amazing what a bit of exercise can do for old limbs. even if they are part of a dog. We feel stronger also when you get off our butts. Good for Scout!
I have been missing your posts. My BFF was here for 5 days. We had a BFF and Trudy’s Amazing Incredible Adventure Weekend. Duluth will never be the same.