One Of These Days

One of these days, she's going to catch her one of them squirrels. 

Funny thing, I got up this morning around 5-ish, and let her outside.  Then I built a fire and started making a cup of coffee.  After a few minutes, she came running back inside, looking towards the door and hissing.  I stepped out onto the back porch -- like I thought I'd be able to see anything in the dark -- and heard something much heavier than a squirrel jump off of the bird feeder and begin running across the roof of the shed.  

Like I said, it was too dark to see, so I don't know exactly what it was, but my guess would be either a possum or a trash panda.  Judging by how spooked the cat was, I'm guessing raccoon.  Once it had been run off, the cat went back outside and that was my excitement for the day. 

The rest of the news is a bit more mundane, as my tasks for the day were to begin winterizing things in my yard.  First thing on the list was to pull up that makeshift trellis I had put out here last summer. 

Then I pulled up the dead cosmos and put them into the compost.  I'll need to get the weedeater out and cut down that mess, but that didn't happen today.  I don't think I'll plant more cosmos in this bed next year.  I think I'll go with something a little tamer like Vincas.  I always did like them. 

The next thing on the list was to move that old sewing machine back into the junk room and get this space cleaned up.  

They're predicting temperatures down into the upper 30s by next weekend, so I needed to clear a space to bring my outside plants inside.  

By the way, my fire pit has shipped, and it supposed to arrive Thursday -- just in time for those cooler temps.  I spent some time today looking at Adirondack chairs to put around it.  I still have to decide where to put it, too.  I'm really wanting to build a patio right outside my back door.  I'd had one there for about a month after I moved in, but the plumber had to break it up to replace the sewer line.  That one was just a solid slab of concrete, but I'm wanting something a little more fancy than that.  I'd bought one of those molds that you use with Quickcrete, but never got around to doing anything with it.  

Oh well, I'll figure something out.  

In piano news, yes, I'm still playing.  I finished unit four in my Faber book this afternoon, then put it and my Alfred's book away until after Christmas.  I'm going to spend the rest of the year playing Christmas songs, and hymns, and songs I play just for fun.  

Speaking of, I ordered a bunch of Christmas stamps yesterday.  It's almost time to get my Christmas cards ready!  

I guess that's about it for today.  I'm going to go get something to eat, then finish watching the ball game.