Winter is coming

[pameladean]

I just went out in the dark and raked all the leaves off the sidewalk. I tried to put them all on my flowerbeds and lawn rather than on the neighbor's lawn -- he does not garden and cannot tell an ornamental cherry from a mulberry, pruning them all equally, but he is very precise and tidy about pruning and mowing, and I'm sure he doesn't want any more leaves. I'd meant to mow them into bits and dump them on the flowerbeds, but I never got around to it. I can never get really exercised about the lawn, and found most of the beautiful fall days better employed walking myself and my cat.

There seems to be a huge snowstorm brewing, so huge that I wonder if it will strand Eric in Denver before it comes howling this way to smack us -- well, to smack the Dakotas or Minnesota or Wisconsin or parts of all. They don't seem very certain yet. We were planning to drive to Northfield for David's mother's 80th birthday celebration, but we'll have to see. If we can't go, we'll have lots of cheese and crackers and broccoli and a really nice vaseful of lilies.

David and I did a brisk round of errands today -- quick lunch at Taco Bell, post office to send Lydy some stuff she'd forgotten when she went to New York, Uncle Hugo's, where I was most flatteringly asked to sign their copies of my books, and delighted to see that they have the third one in already, whoo-hoo. We got out with only two purchases, Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman and a John Barnes I forget the title of. Then we dropped a package off at Karen's and had the discussion about how it would be a good idea not to have to shovel leaves along with the snow.

I have the makings for vegan lasagna. Maybe tomorrow.

I've been making a lot of notes on the plot synopsis for the Hills/Whim sequel, and just started chapter 7 of the Liavek novel. Chapters 5 and 6 are not really assembled yet, but with multiple viewpoints one can sometimes do these things.

Pamela

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

When you're in Northfield, please ask about restaurants. We need some.

B

[pameladean]

The Village Cafe, particularly the side of the menu that used to be The Byzantine.

And Basil's Pizza!

But sure, I'll ask about others. There is often one fairly high-end restaurant in Northfield, but they change over fairly often.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Sounds great. Do you want to go to dinner on the Saturday night after Thanksgiving?

B

[pameladean]

Well, I don't know. We'll have driven to Northfield twice that week already, once for Mary's birthday and once for Thanksgiving itself.

Pamela

and for a really fun pub...

[kaytecat.livejournal.com]

Try the Contented Cow.

British / Irish style food and drink. Yum.

K

[kightp.livejournal.com]

My sister the horticulturist gave me permission to rake the leaves onto the beds without mowing or otherwise crushing them. Fortunately, the worst of them - from the next-door neighbor's gorgeous big-leaf maple - obligingly fell right onto the bed along the fence anyway, so I have only the slightest raking to do.

Which is good, because it's been nasty-cold-and-wet the last few days, and is expected to stay that way all weekend, and I'm feeling strongly inclined to stay indoors and study my lines and maybe light the season's first fire in the fireplace.

I tried to do errands myself this evening, after work, but was too exhausted to focus and found myself in the mall - where I hadn't even intended to go - wandering aimlessly around wondering what I was looking for. It took me nearly two hours to buy nothing (although I did rent a couple of movies) and come home.

[pameladean]

I have no problem with putting whole rather than pulverized leaves on the flowerbeds, it's just that mowing is usually the way I get leaves out of the way, off the lawn and sidewalk. I find raking a bit too strenuous, especially when it uses much the same muscles as shovelling snow, which has to be done regardless of one's inclinations.

I do like it when a tree is cooperative. Ours are mostly too bewildered by being non-native and thinking that they have until the end of November of turn their leaves properly to do a really good job of location when they do let go.

I once read an article on the virtues of mulch, which pointed out that trees and shrubs mulch themselves and should be left alone to do so. That tickled me.

Pamela

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

Squeal! You bought my book? I have arrived at last.

[pameladean]

Shyeah, right, which one of us is it that PW is in love with? 8-) I'd have bought it much sooner, but we have been chronically short of money for several years, and I had a huge to-be-read pile already.

Pamela

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I bought one of those signed books Saturday. If I spend the whole holiday talking like Ruth to my relatives, I will hold you personally responsible.

[pameladean]

Oh dear. Well, better Ruth than Patrick. Though I suppose, really, that it depends on the relatives.

Pamela