Marching band season is over as of tomorrow at 8PM. Our lives and home revolve around it, well, revolved, for the last four years from mid July-Halloween. The house sits and rots from the inside out. Most people spring clean, I autumn clean. I'm thinking of the next three weekends and they involve painting the last of the porches, a set of shutters, and try to get the windows reglazed. I've been trying for a month? now. But I have to now. It's about to be too cold for that sort of thing and it's a time crunch. The good news is, it's time to work on the inside of the house. I will begin painting. Finally. Been there two years now, and only two rooms are painted something other than yellow. I did work on the utility room sometime earlier this year and got the recycling bins off the floor, and a bar up by the dryer so I can air dry clothes or hang up clothes as they come out of the dryer. There is drywall patching, but they haven't been sanded. Two of the three windows have storm windows on them. I'll have to take down what is there to reach the panes to be reglazed, but they're at eye level and it's eight or screws for each window. Should be a breeze. It's that last window that's on another side of the house that'll require a ladder. I still can't envision how to get the storm window up while on a ladder?, but I'll figure it out. I guess the utility room will be the one I finish first. I've picked out its paint color, have the material bought and cut for its Roman shades, and is small enough to get it done in one day which will keep me moving, so why not.

The garden is winding down to a full stop. The bed is dug, the plants are moved and ready for a long winter's nap, and this weekend, after the killing frost, the annuals will get yanked. I even have my winter sowing containers filled with dirt and seeds ready to go out. The first year I did that, I think I had 15 or so total, my first year of ever trying (I've gardened 30+ years). I was blown away by how easy it was, how well they germinated (crazy ol' nature knows more about what to do than I? say it aint so), and how much of a jump start they got. I took a break last year from almost any germinating, and didn't do any winter sowing. The garden showed it. Ugh. Just about all there was were Nicotiana, Larkspur, and Zinnias. A million of each. All the zinnias were pink even though the previous year I'd had other colors. Must be the reversion when reseeding? Or only those survived? But they bloomed. It was good to see something cheery. Motivated me to finish digging the bed alongside the house, plant a hedge, and build a fence. I'm feeling so energized by it, I have over 60? winter sowing containers. I think. Some crazy amount. I'm thinking ahead to how my neighbors may not like it, and building a little "fence" around them with a sign saying, "Look for new flowers. Coming 2018". I won't do it, but it's what I think about.

The LF's senior year of high school is going well. He's retaken the ACT and his score is off the chart. I now rest easy that he'll surely get scholarships and admission. Somehow and somewhere. It'll all work out. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but he turned 18 a couple of weeks ago, and he's such a good guy, I changed all of my work (retirement, emergency contacts, etc), life insurance, living will, etc. stuff to him. I took off my mom, brother, and sister as primary. They're still contingent, but he's primary. I trust him more. He made it. Despite it all, he made it. He's gonna do great things. Makes me proud and he hasn't even done them yet!

Gonna miss these guys. Until next year!