Autumn, where are you?

October was unusually warm in Utah until yesterday. I hid from the rain and wind all day and did nothing but play games and mope.

This morning began with the sound of hail pounding on the chimney cap and gutters, waking me at 5:15. I stayed awake!

I went outside an did some winterizing chores, moved the garden solar lights, the water globes, the gnome, put up the new bird feeder. Brought in some stuff which could freeze. Used a hooked branch to get my Halloween streamers down where they'd blown up in the gutters. Got a faceful of cold, dirty water and wet leaves. Joy. Moved the skeletal flamingos out to the front with the rest of the decorations. I had one more gnome to move, he's holding a mushroom like a cup. I flipped him over on his side to drain and saw some very cold but still alive yellow jackets clinging to the underside of the mushroom. I just left him, and them, be. Yikes if I'd grabbed them!

Just as I finished, there was a snow flurry. Snow?! I still need to have Larry mulch the roses and button up the rest of the yard. Oh yeah, the big maple still is full of green leaves, she hasn't even turned red yet! A big snow storm will break her branches that way.

Now I have to change my clothes, I always feel "tickly" after I've been walking around insects. Comes from a wasp crawling up my pants leg when I was a teen. No, no sting, but a severe and lingering fear of creeping flying things.