I’m no weather expert who follows record breaking but I cannot remember such a stretch of warm days in November. It was downright hot over the weekend. Sadly, I did not take advantage of it to work in the garden. I just plain enjoyed it. I did attend the annual Barn Raisers Ball at the Ag Hall. A good time was had by all.

The field peas I planted in the hoop house are already past the shoot stage. I guess I’ll turn them over as a green manure crop and replant with spinach or lettuce. Lucky for me I’ve planted more every few weeks. We love them for salads cut at about three inches tall. As the weather turns cold, they can be planted in flats near a sunny window. Violet has tried them a few times in her dorm at school.

A five-pound bag will last all winter.

A while ago I mentioned the cutting of spent bush green bean plants rather than pulling them. They produced one more meal although they were more “beany” that some may prefer.

For me, they bespeak of my Appalachian upbringing. We cooked them within an inch of their lives in either chicken or pork stock. They were extremely soft, almost mushy, but incredibly flavorful.

One sad fact connected with the unseasonably warm days: my kale and broccoli are still bothered by aphids. I soak them in either salted water or a diluted vinegar solution. Both will remove and kill the pests.

I feel like a broken record. I know I mention this every fall but it bears repeating: soon it is time to cut down the ornamental grasses or you will live to regret it come spring. They get broken by snow and/or wind and end up all over the place in a not-pleasing fashion.

Also for your information: they are as combustible as they dry and can be dangerous if near an outdoor fire pit or grill situation.

I have rogue forsythia that appeared in the vegetable garden a few years ago. I’ve been working around it. Some of the leaves have turned a nice fall, red color while others remain green. All the red-leafed branches are covered with flowers. That’s all I have to say about that . . . it’s a bit of a mystery.

On Tuesday morning after the lunar eclipse, a visiting creature appeared near my chicken yard. It was jet black, about two feet long and very skinny. It had the humpbacked gait of an otter. My son Reuben chased it while trying to capture a photo.

A simple Google search offered the possibility of a fisher cat. A call to the local animal control person left us both wondering. They will attack chickens. I was particularly alarmed about the possibilty of rabies as it was broad daylight and there was human activity in the yard.

I will follow up and get back to you in the next column.

I have too much anxiety to follow the play by play breakdown of the midterm elections. Remember, I write this on Tuesday evenings.

Ever since last week’s attempted murder of Nancy Pelosi’s husband and the subsequent heinous jokes and speculations by prominent Republican figures, I am unable to get right. Our country seems to honestly be broken.

All politics aside, there seems to be no longer any sense of decent human behavior.