Jane and I both under the weather…which was pretty violent (the weather) last night…

That arctic front hit us with strong winds that toppled a 100 year old tree onto a big house on the North Hill (we live on the South Hill) and really trashed several rooms. Evergreens grow up about 90 feet and are limber at the top and long-fibered with big, heavily fronded limbs—and when the wind blows, and they get to whipping about, down the whole tree can go.

This morning we had a dusting of snow—Shu was wilder than a march hare, and ran about doing every semi-naughty thing that occurred to him, mostly involving countertops…Sei was calmer, but definitely noted the world had changed.

I thought the hawthorne by the pond would unload leaves in that wind, but no—it was the towering big hemlocks: they covered the pond in a layer of dead needles, which I could have pulled in thirty minutes if we still had the pump in, but no—we'd pulled it.

Jane's nasty-sick, and I'm semi-sick: upper respiratory crud; and we're getting meds for it…but nothing for it—if 20 lbs of hemlock needles sink, they'll rot, they'll affect ph, and they're not that wholesome for the fish in a closed pond for the winter. SOoooooooooo…I'm elected. I'm not letting Jane go out there and get sicker. So I put on the rain-suit to keep warm, netted out 20 or so pounds of needles, dumped them onto the walkways, then got the pushbroom, cleaned the bridge, which had about 5 lbs, then swept the patio, walkway and driveway, which netted another 20 plus, and then I swept them all out the garden gate and piled them on the weaker plants out there. The net pole is aluminum and quite cold, even with gloves, and I had to hold one hand under cold water to get the pain stopped and circulation going in my middle fingers. Owie. But that's done.

Now I just have to get over to Freddie Myers and get the meds.

We're pilling Shu, we're pilling us, now, and we're all just ducky. Bleh!

But our trees are still standing!