Bonus Days

Good night dahlia bulbs. Sleep the winter away.

Today was downright balmy here in northwestern PA. For November 6th that's a bonus. This is not typical weather. I took advantage of the warm weather and pulled the dahlia bulbs this afternoon. A hard frost last week did them in. Oh my, they look bad after a frost -- black and droopy, ugh. Dahlias come out in the fall easier than they go in in the spring. I just grab a handful of stems and gently tug until the ball of dirt and bulbs begins to rise up. Then I shake off the dirt and snip the stems, letting the bulbs fall into a bucket. The buckets full of bulbs will go to the basement until April or May. One year I made the mistake of putting lids on the buckets. All winter long my bulbs were busy turning into dahlia soup -- and it stunk to high heaven when the lids came off. That spring I got to buy all new dahlias.  (I thought I was protecting the bulbs from mice. Why? Don't ask me. I'd never noticed mice ravaging my dahlia bulbs before, but I got it in my head, and, well, I learned the hard way. Better to share if the mice are so inclined, which they aren't, than to lose it all.

Tom is putting the final touches on closing the pool. He's taking advantage of the warm weather too. I've actually been swimming a few days a week at Recreation Complex in Meadville. It involves a little investment of time (25 minutes each way) and a little investment of money for gas, and a small entrance fee which covers the lifeguard, hot water if I shower after, and the use of a pool that is kept up beautifully and comfortably warm. It's a great deal.

A friend of mine who is a swimmer and lives way over on the left coast posted a while back that she appreciates driving to a facility where someone else keeps the pool ready for her to swim most any time she wants. I snobbishly thought, oh no, it's much better to have your own pool. Ah-hem, I stand corrected. This is better, someone else taking care of the pool. Best of all I can swim year round. But I'm sure, come summer time, I'll be ready to enjoy and keep care of my own swimming pool, and host my friends right here. Until then, the Rec Complex is great. And swimming on any late fall or winter day is indeed a bonus!

Good night swimming pool. Sleep tight all winter long.

Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and rainy. Thursday, possible snow. Typical November weather.