The return to regular time has brought the dawn a little closer to human breakfast time. It isn't any closer to cat breakfast time, of course, so I'm being awakened by tuna-hungry cats trapped in the house if the night seemed a bit too cold for Mom's idea of cat safety. There's nothing like the sting of sharp claws patting at a cheek or toe to alert a cat servant that the master of the house wants his breakfast now. Our cats have learned that their aging humans don't readily respond to a whiskered nuzzle anymore.

They're outside now patrolling their territory for defense and fun, making sure that no feline intruder goes unscathed for daring to cross their boundaries. A savvy squirrel occasionally appears in the garden, warily keeping close to trees and fences which provide a ready escape. They're hunting for nuts near the oak and pecan trees, preparing for winter instead of new litters of babies.

The hurricane spawning grounds are quieting at last so there haven't been more warnings of storms sweeping in from the seas. There was a severe tornado that struck two states to the north of us, however. It exploded into being at about two o'clock in the morning, catching many people unaware. There are twenty-two reported deaths with rescue crews looking for more survivors in the rubble. The weird weather still continues unabated, only changing in location and form.

The weather here has warmed somewhat and should be mild for another week with some rain predicted in a few days. The tomatoes are finally lightening in color but still far from ripe. The snap beans have clusters of blooms forming. The peas are a healthy green and climbing well on their cages. I bought some sparaxis bulbs on sale and potted them in six inch pots on the terrace. I'm hoping they'll bring some color to the indoor garden this winter.

I finished a second sweater and have a third sweater more than half done. I'm making a striped odd-ball sweater, using up the collection of small balls from the earlier sweaters. It looks pretty good, with only a little on one side and the other top side to knit. I have enough yarn that I ought to be able to knit another solid color sweater as well.

I'm rushing to get to the Christmas present that I planned to make for Mom, hopefully for this year and not the next. My favorite discount store has been stocking pretty fancy yarn lately and I'd love to get some more. I have to finish more of the backlogged projects before I do, but the yarn pile has shrunken to the point that it is starting to look like success has swept through that portion of the stash.

I've also managed to cut the organizer backlog to less than a month. Part of the reduction was the passing of the gardening season. Lost opportunities there can't be recovered by rescheduling. We're now to the point that anything new has to be started for the indoor garden, and that is already crowded.

The house plants can stay on the terrace for a while longer, but the move inside for the winter is at hand. They get a taste of the drier air when they have to come in for the night, but go back out for the day when the chill has faded from the outdoor air. It helps the transition to indoor life, something they never like as much as their months on the terrace.