Ahhhhhh.

I took a day off yesterday to clean and organize my house.  It worked out well and I was pleased with my progress.  I had a nice, relaxing morning, got up early & walked to the boat house to check on the lake (it was windy) and color (coming along but not yet peak).  I cleaned my deck of a lot of debris, which was just wonderful.  Took 2 bags of garbage to the dump + got rid of my old (35 yrs.) propane camp stove that no longer works.  The deck looks much better now.  I also emptied some of the skankier-looking flower pots.  I couldn't bring myself to throw them all out, though, so still have some mediocre-looking pots on the railing & deck.

I walked the bog in the afternoon, my first walk to the end of the boardwalk in many weeks.  I like going in the off-season--not only is it less crowded (like, you get to have the place to yourself) but the colors are always different.  It's very pretty in there now, unless you're the type of person depressed by signs of autumn.  I like autumn--isn't that why we live in places with 4 seasons?  To watch the seasons change?

It's been a pretty busy time--a flurry of late-season activity.  Dinners with Linda & Erdvilas, Duncan & Sue, Joe.  All very nice and delicious.  I'm not gaining weight, thankfully, and have lost 3 pounds.  I'm really hoping to walk more regularly and lose weight.  Hoping to lose some SERIOUS weight this winter.

I've kept a fire going in my stove pretty much every day, but haven't kept it going all night yet.  I know how to set it to keep it burning low and steady but have yet to get it really hot.  It is a determined stove, does not like to shut down.  I've already emptied the ash pan (just for practice, while the stove was cold).  It's a wonderful stove and I feel so lucky to have it.  Does that mean I think I don't deserve it?  Well, not, it's just that it was a luxury that I couldn't really afford but really wanted.  So I have it, and I admire and appreciate it regularly.

Dogs are fine.  They're busy eating drops from the apple trees along the driveway and looking for deer.  I don't think they know what deer are, but they're sure there's SOMETHING out there in the woods.  They bark and fuss when we see deer from the car but I'm not sure they connect THOSE deer with the deer we have around the house.

Oh I had such a nice day yesterday.  I love this time of year.  Weather is expected to continue to be sunny and warm.  Saturday looks like a wonderful day.  I need to start working on the boat house--emptying the fridge, tidying up.  And I need to get to the fridge in main camp, which has flotsam from summer visitors in it.  I already ate the marshmallows that were in the cabinet.

We're getting some good color but of course there's much discussion about just how good the color is this year.  Is it as good as usual?  Isn't it duller, not as bright?  But wait, that's what we said last year and it ended up being beautiful.  There definitely is not as much red as we usually have, probably due to some weather activity.  Lots of yellows and oranges, though.  We haven't reached the time when walking in the woods feels as if there are bright lights everywhere because of the yellow yellow yellow leaves.  That will come, though.