I don’t know why last week’s freeze came as a surprise to me. It is the end of October afterall.

The annual flowers are all history with the exception of petunias and alyssum. The latter will stay nice almost to Christmas in a protected location.

It’s sad to see tomatoes and peppers all dead with bright fruit still hanging on the stems. Too bad they are no longer edible.

I did pick a large amount of green tomatoes a week or so ago. Why I bother is beyond me. I cull through them on the counter daily and toss them into the compost. Only the absolutely perfect ever ripen to my liking.

The good news is that all the pests on the cole crops seem to be gone. Collards, kale and broccoli all have nice vibrant young growth. Also, the mid-summer plantings of carrots have developed some size and are becoming very sweet. The cool weather develops their sugar. My dahlias did not freeze so the task of digging them can be delayed a while. I wonder if I will get around to labeling them this year. As if! In a trip off-Island on Sunday morning, I could not believe my good fortune to live here on the Vineyard. There was zero traffic, the leaves are turning and all seems right in my tiny world. The beetlebung trees are especially nice with their fall attire. I should purchase one for myself. My grandchildren would appreciate it.

The big boxes at 7A have been particularly nice all season. They have been spruced up with large ornamental cabbage. Very nice.

Also, check out the reblooming white irises at the Chilmark branch of Martha’s Vineyard Savings.

Big thanks to son, Reuben, and grandson, Michael. They spent last Saturday cutting and splitting wood for me. Good thing, too, as the evenings are getting chilly. Last year’s supply had dwindled down to a few armsloads. As you may recall, last December was very cold and I used more firewood than we had anticipated.

The hens are shutting down production now that there is less light. Only two young leghorns are producing at all. Why, oh, why do I continue feeding them organic grain? I’m simply a creature of habit and endlessly hopeful.

I finally ordered some bulbs. Many of the choices had sold out. I guess time really does get away from a person. Thankfully, it was not as costly as a result of my procrastination.

I’ve been busy fussing with my geraniums. I bring them inside every year. They make me happy mid-winter. There is a lot of sniping and cleaning of pots. I cut them within an inch of their lives but they don’t seem to mind. One year, I had a couple live outside all winter. I’ve never seen it happen since. Sometimes a forgotten dahlia will also winter over. The key is recognition come spring. It would be sad to weed it out doing spring prep.

Just a week left before midterm elections and our President is outdoing himself on the campaign trail. The amount of whoppers is downright laughable. (How I wish it was actually funny!)

The 40,000 jobs from arm sales to Saudi Arabia miraculously jumped to 1 million by midweek. Oh, my personal favorite is the Middle Easterners hiding within the caravan of refugees from Honduras and Guatemala. Surely, he cannot mean the Saudis.

One positive not concerning a change in the House of Representatives is the end of that coward, Paul Ryan.