The first hard frost arrived this week, leaving the tomato vines and bean plants blackened. I picked four orangey red tomatoes, the last of the season. Winter is knocking firmly at the door.

The pea vines are still fine, lush and green on their wire cages. A lone spinach plant from a stray late-sprouting seed sits near their rows. The leaves are now falling in heavy carpets on the ground, blanketing it in crackling drifts rustled by the wind. The plants are finally easing into their winter rest.

I went shopping yesterday, looking for Christmas bargains. I slipped a few more packages of bargain bulbs into the basket since the bargain sparaxis bulbs are sporting shoots now. I got some freesias, some anemones, and some white Dutch irises. Then I cruised the aisles looking for goodies to tuck into Mom's Christmas gifts for homebound seniors, the yearly project sponsored by her retired teachers' luncheon group. I kept an eye peeled for gifts suitable for the ABWA Christmas party, too.

I was surprised to see the sky nearly dark when I pushed a full basket to the cash register. I wasn't half done, but it was getting too close to suppertime to keep shopping. I had managed to get a lot of the Christmas shopping done as well as a trip to Easy Way for more produce at least, but there is still more to do before Thanksgiving. The cool afternoon had turned into an unpleasantly brisk evening, and I wished I had worn a jacket as I pushed the basket to my car.

It is time to remember such details before leaving the house. I forgot another one today, that it is Thanksgiving week and our garbage can should have been put on the curb yesterday evening instead of tonight for an early pickup. My brother Steve managed to get it to the street in time for the sanitation workers to take it, but we missed the recycling pickup.

He is not doing well lately. He saw his cardiologist today and got read the riot act about his cholesterol. He's been having more shoulder pains but refusing to take the nitroglycerin for it. At least the Thanksgiving turkey is on his diet in reasonable quantities. His favorite peanut butter sandwiches are also fairly heart healthy.

I'm working on the second side of the three color striped pattern sweater. Perhaps there won't be enough yarn for another one. It looks like I'll have to write to Coats & Clark for another yarn donation and hope that their generosity is as kind this year as the last. It would give me a little time to knit Mom's Christmas present.

The organizer is getting backlogged again. Let an entry slip one day, another the next day, and soon there is a little trail of missed items to click through to get to the current day. The shopping and another doctor's visit took up time that couldn't be avoided. It doesn't help that most of those items are supposed to be daily tasks, done a bit a day to break up the work to doable amounts. The more days they wait, the more work is waiting.