Friday, November 29

Well, here it is--Black Friday and no, we have not been and are not going shopping. We haven't indulged in that madness for some years except for once when we ran out of something and forgot what day it was. I saw more post with the caption "Black Friday--Save 100%. Stay home." But, given the stories on the news, ours is a minority opinion.

The weather is now and has been, with brief exceptions, gloomy. It feels colder than the thermometer says it is thanks to the moisture. We have had plenty of rain and a couple of days of high winds. The weather people have pushed back the end of this bleak weather to Tuesday.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with my brother and his family. We managed to not overeat though we had to refuse the pie. As I told one of the guests I was comfortably full but the pie would have left me uncomfortably (and painfully) overfull.

My first seed catalog arrived last week--Totally Tomatoes. Since I have sworn off tomatoes and peppers, which haven't yielded well for the last few years, I doubt I will be buying any of those seeds. I am still of the mind to concentrate on herbs and flowers but am still deciding which ones.

The stevia, lemon grass, and rosemary I brought inside for the winter are doing well so far. The miniature rose has had a hard time, though. When I had it outside the Japanese beetles went for it like it was bug candy. I cleared them all off and brought it inside where it began to come back, until I overwatered it. I think I managed to save it because it is now putting out new leaves. At least until the next crisis. I might add another next year. I can't keep on display in the big window downstairs because the cats also think it tastes good.

I am still ignoring the political news. It is toxic as hell and I am tired of being poisoned by it.