well, I can't believe it...

we were in the 70s today...

begonia hanging on, even after a frost or two...

still not a bad enough frost to put the blooms to sleep...

picked up some of the summer things out of the beds today...

smelled some roses...

saw 2 bees...

can you believe this?

the nuts are all down and the squirrels have been busy...

spent some time on that bench soaking up some rays...

in a short sleeved t-shirt...

just lovely out today...

and there's a monarch butterfly...

saw a small yellow one, too...

still have leaves, but they are falling fast...

the thermometer is stuck on 100...

it was warm out, but not that warm...

Bebe playing dead...

he doesn't do it very well...

well, November sure came in warm...

wonder how she will go out...

it sure feels more like April here...

snooping around to see what's still green every day...

but, green or not...

the pots are getting dumped this weekend...

right into the flower beds...

crops are 99% in...

plowing almost done...

they have had good weather this fall...

and so far around here, it's been a safe harvest...

DH just came through the door...

see you later!

seriously...

I am not ready for this to be November...

I am not ready for winter to come...

I am not ready to trade in my shorts for long johns...

I am just not ready...

and as November begins...

it's dragging me in kicking and screaming...

and protesting...

and I have my panties in a wad...

and I know it doesn't make a bit of difference...

'cause it's going to happen anyway...

but I am not embracing it...

nope...

I think it's time to hibernate until spring...

when I was younger...

I looked everything straight in the eye and said...

bring it on...

but...

now I'm just too old...

and I have become a wimp...

seriously...

I need chocolate...

seriously...

thank you for listening...

I feel better now...

Remember scary?

we had to mow yesterday...

this was yesterday...

and the rest are today...

still no killin' frost...

we've got 60s...

off to do something...

DH thinks harvest will be over this week and that he might actually have a whole weekend off...

we will be packing away all the summer stuff and getting the yard ready for you know what...

yippee!

17 years...

17 years ago my life was forever changed...

17 years ago I buried my mother...

I remember thinking when she died how in the world am I ever going to take another step without her...

each day was so long...

my life before was taking care of her and my grandparents...

not until they were gone, did I really bloom...

between them, the kids and working full time...

that was my world...

I did so much after she left here...

I started crafting...

painting...

gardening in earnest...

I had never had time for me before...

it was a new path...

discovering what I had in me...

and looking back over the last 17 years...

I can tell you now that I didn't do it alone...

she's been  with me every step of the way...

a mother's love never fades..

the first few years were hard...

but, things mellow with time...

this is not a bad time of the year for me anymore...

but..

if you have your mother here with you...

don't waste a day...

because they fly by so fast...

ask her all those things you want to know...

write it down!

cause 17 years ago...

I had to do my very first Thanksgiving dinner...

yeah...

had always mooched off of grandma and mom...

they did the dinners...

I was just a dumb kid then...

have a blessed day, everyone...

I'm spending it with my guys...

I knew there was something I forgot to do yesterday...

like blog!

HELLO!  yeah, sometimes I forget things...

well, it didn't frost hardly at all...

and look at the tomatoes...

had to pick more of them again...

the skies were so pretty...

yeah, still blooming...

I figured they would be black...

but no...

I hear tell that Jersey is getting 3-6 inches of the that S word this weekend...

sorry to hear that...

still having fall here...

check this out, ladies...

got my money's worth out of that...

and then look at this...

after it warmed up this afternoon...

no coats...

went up town and saw the grade school kids parading around in their costumes...

little monsters everywhere...

it was fun seeing the kids...

been a long time since mine were trick or treating...

we don't have any kids on our street anymore...

the youngest one is a senior in high school...

funny how they all grew up...

had another good day...

3 in a row...

and counting...

didn't get as much done yesterday...

too busy gawking at ghoulies and playing around...

even watched some tv...

someone ran a marathon of Rosanne Halloween shows...

yeah, we watched part of them...

still need to do my bedroom...

putting it off...

dreading it...

but it will be so much better when it's done...