Everyone's a Critic

The sun is trying to shine as we go outside this morning, but it is cool. Really cool. Only 5 of the dogs join me, Rosie deciding she'd rather sleep on the sofa than shiver in the grass. I don't blame her. I hobble my way out to the garden boat to roll up the beach mats and shower curtain, just as Richard returns from checking on the other side of the farm. He brings one of the Dollar Store tarps and I show him where I want it attached to the end of the bunk bed frame to keep the tomatoes warm. I decide to reach waaaayyy in and pick the two ripening Striped Cavern Tomatoes, but can only reach one. We move around to the starboard side of the boat, Richard reaches in and with some difficulty, snags the other tomato. We circle around again and decide it is just too cold to tarry outside anymore. The dogs agree.

Back inside I have my cappuccino, and watch the news: election; more election; school shooting in Finland; Regina Christian school in lock down; financial meltdown in the US. Time to see what Anna is making this morning...ooooh, Turkey and Trimming Pinwheels. Looks delish!

I'm getting my hair cut later this afternoon so don't want to start any baking. Instead I putter, doing little things I have been meaning to do for weeks. Bringing in a plastic container from out on the deck, I sort through the dried flower heads I have been collecting for their seeds. There are Marigolds, Zinnias, Gazanias, Calendulas and Abutilon, also known as Flowering Maples. After the success of my Marigold planting on the garden boat this summer, I can't wait to do it again next year and am saving all the seeds I can.

Bente has been saving her Nasturium seeds, and I saved the double pink Poppies and I have some seeds from some Giant Red Poppies I saved last year. Some of the seeds go into paper bags to facilitate drying and some that are already dried go into jars. Then the whole works go back in the dog room to keep cool.

That used up an hour and soon it is time to go and have my hair cut. I wear it short -REALLY SHORT - and today Heather makes short work of it, no pun intended. It's too cold and I am too stiff with arthritis to do any shopping so am back home less than an hour after I leave. Soon the dogs are anxious to go out, whining and nattering at me. When I open the door, they race out hooting and hollering to the far end of the garden yard. Mason runs so fast that he skids into the fence, nearly turning himself from a Bichon into a Pug. All of the dogs are standing on hind legs barking at something down the drive.

I arrive behind them and realize the Cute Little Island Mule Deer and her twins have been under the pear trees enjoying the wind fall fruit. I forgot she likes to wander through at this time of day. She sees me and trots down towards the creek with her twins. I holler at her, apologizing for disturbing her feast. She and one of the twins stop, looking back over her shoulder at me. I wave at her and she twitches her ears, flicks her tail, but stays stationary. I toss some wind fall apples over the fence, and finally convince the kids to come in so the deer can return. As I approach the house, I look back over my shoulder, and she is still standing there watching us. It won't be long before the kids start hooting in the house because she is in the drive again, I know.

It's NCIS Season Premiere tonight and I don't want to miss a second of it. I am a fan of the FBI, NCIS, CSI shows, in case you haven't figured that out, and late September is when I lock myself away to watch the premiere's. Tonights is great, and as an added bonus, Gina calls me from Edmonton during commercials and we critique what has just happened on the show. NCIS is so exciting and after NCIS, a new series debuts, The Mentalist, another FBI drama. Gina and I watch it and critique it as well, deciding we liked it. Kate weighs in via text messaging and I agree with her that the cast needs to meld more for it to be in the NCIS, CSI, Criminal Minds, Numb3rs catagory. It has "good possibilities" - that means we'll watch it for a few weeks to see where it goes.

Gina and I talk about tomorrow nights shows, looking forward with anticipation to Bones, Criminal Minds - which agent was it who got blown up at the end of the last season? - and CSI: NY. Of course we will be watching them together.

I round up the dogs after the show, and try and convince them to go outside while I make their beds up. Yeah, right. It's raining and that's NOT going to happen.

Maybe in the morning they'll go out.

Or not.