Brrrrrr, it's cold outside!

[Tinwoman2]

Earlier this week, I was hot & sweating in a t-shirt; but tonight it is supposed to get down to 24 degrees. I haven't turned on my heat yet, but I have closed all of my windows. We are 20 degrees colder than normal for this time of year.

Today, I went out & picked the last of my bell peppers and tomatoes before the freeze. I felt kinda silly picking green tomatoes but...

My snapdragons are blooming their little hearts out today, and they will be all shriveled up tomorrow. Maybe I'll pick some & put them in water. I only bought white ones this year. They are my very favorite flower.

I was outside earlier today for awhile-standing, (I was trying to unhook my garden hose) and when I tried to move later, I was stiff and I lurched a bit as I got moving again.

I guess it is time to move my fans upstairs & I'll bring my winter coat & gloves down on the same trip & maybe my boots as well.

Update on my ankle: I did not call the orthopaedist yet. I have been wearing the brace & have cut down on my exercise class. It has been feeling better & I get (some) support from the brace. Today I have felt like I have had a charlie horse all day in that leg-it just feels so tight. I know that I have been altering my walk, so now everything feels off. Maybe next week I'll go to the free clinic & see what they think is going on. I've never been to it before and it is 1st come 1st served & only on Tuesdays & Fridays. I suppose that I should go early to make sure that I get seen.

I expect all the trees will change colors after the freeze tonight. I have seen some beautiful trees this week; yellows & reds, etc.

Have a lovely weekend all.

Christine

[sylvi]

Christine, we have had our heating on for a while now as we have had a bad summer this year very wet too. You are so lucky to still able to pick tomatoes,we lost all ours. Some of our vege suffered on our allotment this year due to the wet weather. Our potatoes were very poor this year along with a lot of other vege. We have had a good year for runner beans, carrots,red betroot and raspberries,but our strawberries have ben a disaster.

I hope your ankle is soon on the mend and do take it easy and don't overdo it as i know how easy it is.

Lets hope the winter when it comes isn't too long and we can soon enjoy some warm weather. sylvi.xx

[Rsheepy]

Wow I wish I had a garden, and actually I wish I could grow vegetables!! Never been blessed with green fingers. I believe on our flat's balcony there is some lavender at least

I hope your ankle feels better soon, keep it warm now. Rach

[allanah]

I only just started growing veg last year to keep me moving about a bit, but have been lucky here with strawberries and peas but still styring to ripen tomatoes, now in a box with a banana!!

I love to see the trees change colour but for me its also a sad season cos i love camping, festivals, climbing hills and the caravan and I have to go and shut the van up for the winter, so for me cant wait to spring, not bothered about xmas, hate the long dark nights, so i am a moaner this time of year!!!!!!!!

Hope your ankle feels better soon and the clinic is of help to you, feel better soon Axx

[lorann]

Hello Christine!

I haven't seen your words here for quite awhile! But, I have been rather preoccupied and stressed with a very ill exhusband, father of my sons. Since mid July. He had Shingles Encephalitis, the virus caused a terrible infection in the brain and shut down the whole body. For 29 days he was totally unresponsive. He has recovered, except for very weak muscles in his legs from being totally inert for over a month. It was hard on my sons and the rest of the family. They were faced, as next of kin, with the decision to remove the ventilator, discontinue tube feeding, etc. But, he slowly came back to consciousness, and now he plans to go home next week.

We all drove to Toledo, Ohio every day, someone was there, my son Dr. Doug went to Toledo every day after his office hours. It is a one hour drive, one way, so it made for many long days

I didn't catch what happened with your ankle, but doesn't sound very nice! You were being quite active this summer, the last I knew. I know I don't need to tell you to take good care!

I know what you are saying about the cold. I am not ready for this, we didn't have enough summer outdoors. It was so blasted hot, as you know, and with the drought, all I could do was go out early morning and water everything with the garden hoses, then go do it again in the evening. I had a wonderful pepper crop, but only 13 tomatoes, the plant was just covered with blossoms and was so promising of a great crop, but that 103 degree intense hot sun just dried the blossoms up and they all fell off. I was so disappointed to see that !

Also hate the short days and long nights! We had a very mild winter last year, might we be so lucky again. Take care Christine, Loretxxx

[Tinwoman2 in reply to lorann]

Hi Loret, I'm so glad that your Exhusband is doing so much better; that experience must have been very stressful for you & your kids.

FYI: I don't know what is going on with my ankle. I was going up my Dad's outdoor steps about a month ago & my ankle just 'popped'. It reverberated all around & bounced off houses & back to me, so I know that it was loud. Then I was helping a friend clean up after a party & it 'popped' again about a week or so ago. Other than swelling up for 2 days about 2 weeks ago, it just feels weak & unstable but it doesn't hurt, really. I've really cut back on my exercise class in the afternoons, but I'm still walking-with a brace on.

My garden did the opposite, I got tons of tomatoes-they grew so big that they covered everything else & killed it, and my peppers were so tiny, but they did turn red.

I certainly wish for a mild winter, although we do need the moisture. If only it would snow only on the grass & not the roads & sidewalks, yeah-right!

Today is beautiful, if only I could have had today, yesterday, when I was outside for a picnic & about froze in 50 degrees & no sun. I wore 2 shirts & 2 jackets & had a hat & gloves. Most of the food was cold salads too so I was SO cold. But the food was good!

Christine

[lorann in reply to Tinwoman2]

Bummer with that ankle! Hopefully it can be remedied by a steroid injection and rest!

Pretty nice to plan a picnic for the first week in October, I really missed that this summer. Had 2 big ones, for son Tim's 50th birthday and one for grandaughter Ellen's Graduation. It was really cold and windy at Tim's on the edge of Lake Erie, hotter than the sun itself for Ellen's a month later!

I have a half bushel of apples to do, think I will make apple butter with them. one gracery bag of tomatoes from neighbor who got them from her daughter, so will make stewed tomatoes with them. I better get it done in the next day or so too!

Take care of your ankle, stay out of trouble Loretxxx