Making a small dent

I woke up this morning with an unusual amount of energy and thus abandoned my plan of inside work in favor of getting a head start on the multitude of outside tasks.

The first dip of the mercury to below freezing last night laid waste to the two enormous morning glory vines that we've been enjoying and watering constantly to support their size and profusion of blooms. Their life blood froze, leaving them wilted, black and rather slimy. For two hours I hacked and pulled, and wrestled with the tangled vines to get them off the fence and the pergola. I shall plant something more demure in their place next Spring.

My energy seemed to hold and I continued, draining the water feature and removing the pump. A bit more straightening in the garage was all I had left in me; bringing the snow shoveling tools forward and moving the gardening tools to the back. Mr. M drained the oil from the snow blower, replaced the spark plug, added some fresh gasoline, started it up and exclaimed: bring it on!

Since it was so remarkably spot on about the mildness of last winter, I kept an eye out for a woolly bear throughout the day. Nothing.

After dinner I headed over to neighbor girlie's house to kid sit her for the evening. We figured out the best configuration for the string of solar rope lights that will go under her spooky, gauzy Halloween cape. I had strict orders to have her asleep by 8:30 but of course...instead she read to me from Diary of A Wimpy Kid and somewhere between the pages her little voice trailed off and stopped, replaced by deep breathing. Cuddled in her nine year old arms lay the ragged green froggy, her first stuffed toy, with eyes wide open.