I am sitting here at the computer swathed in my red pajamas
that cling to every unsightly curve and drinking my coffee
as I write. It is a little chilly and it has me thinking of
the fireplace and a nice blaze. I am used to a long autumn
and cold not setting in until the last of October. In fact,
it was quite warm on Thanksgiving day last year.

Our seasons have changed and as a gardener, I have made some
mistakes. I was counting on the roses blooming one more
time so I went ahead and dead headed them. They need their
last blooms to get through the winter. The tomatoes were
late because of a cold spring and now I have more than I
need. I dried some but I decided it was more work than it
is worth because the dehydrator is very slow. The mums are
ready to bloom.

My son has one more vicious chemo to go and then the oncologist will do a scan to see if it has worked. Since the side effects are cumulative, he is now hardly able to
get out of bed. He is able to eat still and that is a
blessing. I do what I can to make life easier. He gets to
choose a menu for Friday night dinner and I have it ready
when Ellie gets home. Last night it was swiss steak and all
the trimmings and red velvet cake for dessert.

I pick up the girls from school and they stay at my house
until Ellie gets home from work. I treasure the time with
them. Last night was football night and the band was out
having a pep rally when I got there. I picked up Dakota
and Madison as well. Madison is Dakota's new step sister
and she and Adrienne have formed a bond. They are such
good wholesome kids and I enjoy being with them. Ted is
not able to go to the games or we would go. I love high
school and college football. It is not the same when they
are being paid huge salaries to play.