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Top Ten Lessons Learned This Week

Top Ten Lessons Learned This Week

chandelier

10.   Always check pockets for tissues before putting clothes in the washer.

9.    Writing a mystery novel is much harder than one might think.

8.    Black walnut are a safety hazard this time of year, from both below and above. They are easy to trip over in the dark, and during daylight evil squirrels throw them on the heads of unsuspecting people passing by.

7.    The stems of basil plants and other herbs grow so thick and woody, hedge clippers are required to cut through them when putting a kitchen garden to bed for the winter.

6.     When one is inspired to use bug spray to annihilate clumps of box elder bugs huddled for warmth on the foundation of a house, the house will smell like insecticide for two days.

5.    When one applies stain to a woodworking project being completed in the basement, the house will stink for two days.

4.    Staying in a motel room is not a bad idea for those who declare war on box elder bugs while simultaneously recreating a Bob Vila moment in the basement.

3.    Cleaning the dining room chandelier after forgetting about it for, oh let’s say 5 years, requires plenty of elbow grease and vinegar.

2.    If someone leaves the dome light on in her Toyota Corolla on Sunday night and then tries to start it on Thursday morning, the battery will be dead. Dead, dead.

1.    Hot spiced cider from Deal’s Orchard tastes twice as good this year after no cider last year, thanks to a nasty spring frost that decimated the apple crop.

What lessons have you learned this week? Leave a comment.

Three Confused Thoughts for Thursday

Three Confused Thoughts for Thursday

Thanks to some strange current events, I’m scratching my head and wondering if the calendar is right. Can this really be November 1?

  1. This year’s later-than-usual end to Daylight Savings Time led to confusion each of the past three Sundays. On each one, I figured the night before was the end of daylight savings time, and I missed the extra hour of sleep. But no. This year, DST doesn’t end until this coming weekend.
  2. The  appearance of Hurricane Sandy so far north this late in the year left east coasters and weather forecasters confused. My theory is that the media’s to blame for referring to Sandy as Frankenstorm. Give an innocent storm surge a name like that, and it’s bound to show up for Halloween and cause plenty of damage.
  3. Thanks to last spring’s early warm spell and late frost, the apple crop tanked and our favorite orchard can’t make cider. The season feels empty without my favorite fall treat–hot, spiced Deal’s apple cider.

What makes fall feel like fall to you? Leave a comment.