September 19

No frost here. I had gone out at 9:30 last night and took the plants off railings just in case. ("NH Chronicle" is the last show I watch every night to catch the weather and they were predicting possible frost.) The thermometer is just now reaching 40 degrees at 8 a.m. The inside thermometer still reads 61 degrees as it did when I got up. It never ceases to amaze me that 60 degrees outside is nice, but inside is downright cold.

I sit here wearing a turtleneck, flannel shirt, sweater, and a coat. I have fingerless furry hand coverings ... my fingers are freezing, but I need to be able to type. This morning I have TWO blankets over my lap. I'd turn on the furnace, but as it's supposed to be in the 80s over the weekend, I'm holding out.

The hardest part is because I don't have much of a lap, it's hard to anchor the blankets around me and they keep slipping off my legs. I quickly get chilled.

Yesterday was quite the busy day. I finally got Andy to cut 2 feet off the top of the extra stockade fence. He staked it behind the 4-by-4-inch posts he used to create a retaining wall to level the area I'm calling the stump garden because of the three big stumps. I got out the can of purple paint I'd used on the big stockade fence last year and set to work.

Standing in the depression behind the wall (that becomes a little pond during heavy rain), I reached over the top of the pickets to paint the 4-by-4s and the front of the fence. Immediately my back started screaming, but I pushed on. What a mess I made! I dripped paint all over and didn't care if I got dirt in the paint or paint on the ground. Next year when I plant more flowers here, the messy part won't be visible.

I added a second coat in places. My poor shirt -- good thing I'd put on a shirt I'd gotten paint on before. In the end, it looked really good. Even Andy said so and he was hesitant when I suggested doing this. I'm pleased.

Now I'm wondering about cutting up the other extra section of stockade to use the pickets in other parts of the gardens ... like where tall plants grow and need support ... and add a splash of purple color ... I think it'll look good if I place pieces strategically.

Six hours since getting up, the inside temperature still hasn’t risen. The tension in my shoulders and neck have caused a headache. Every time I get up to move around, I drop the blankets, take off glove and mittens and quickly get cold again. I give up. I’m in my house and there’s no reason I have to be so cold. What am I trying to prove? I turned on the furnace at 11:15. Once it warms up a bit, I’ll turn it off.