Tuesday was election day, so different in so many ways from 2004, and on Wednesday mother returned home from the skilled nursing home where she has resided since being discharged from acute rehab following her stroke in August.
It was great that we had glorious weather for both. The leaves are well past peak but the afternoons have been warm and morning fog has dissipated revealing clear blue skies all week. I was able to find a small handful of red raspberries (Heritage, they bear two crops a year) and two Alpine strawberries in my yard to take to my mom yesterday.
Bode is limping a bit on his left front leg, seems to be a bit stiff when he gets up, but he still dances and says YES with his whole body when I start to put on walkies clothes and ask if he is ready to go out. He stayed at home alone quite a bit while mother was in the hospital, so feels good to be able to take him along almost everywhere again.
Most of the fall projects are done, the big one was to invest in a fluorescent shop light to give the plants I brought in more light this winter. There was a deadline, had to be done before killing frosts. The first light fixture I bought proved to be faulty, but the second one is working well (on a timer) suspended from a frame of 2×4 lumber held together by two saw horse brackets. The whole setup is still on the kitchen floor although the plan was to put it on an 8 foot office table by the front windows. The idea was to make tending and observing the plants easier while giving Bode more floor space (tail wagging room) in the kitchen. I can work on moving it after this good weather passes, will be an opportunity to give each of the plants individual attention and do some repotting.
