I'm here...really

I've been meaning to post, really I have but things have been happening around here and I've been distracted by the last days of summer which has now turned into fall which is fading fast into winter with the shortening of the days.

Shorter days, cooler nights, plants have stopped putting out new growth, squirrels and chipmunks are crazily collecting nuts and seeds. They've all gotten the message...time to slow down, fatten up, get ready to rest. We still haven't gotten a hard frost yet but we've had a few nights when temps dipped into the 30's so it's only a matter of days.

I feel like the chipmunks and squirrels as I try to get my home improvement projects done before the first flake hits the ground.

The big hold up was getting the underground oil tank removed but it's gone and good riddance. In its place was a big hole that needed to be filled with dirt and a stone retaining wall that needed to be rebuilt. This meant getting quotes, comparing prices and checking references. And as sometimes happens one project leads to another. The completed stone work looked so good, it made the large sinkhole in the middle of the driveway seem very shabby so a new driveway is in the works too. The gutters that were installed 20 years ago are starting to lose their grip on the roof and they've got to be replaced.

At last all of the contractors have been lined up and work has either begun or is scheduled. Now I can pick up where I left off with my quilting and sewing projects until the leaves finish falling off the oak trees and then it's time to get the rake out.