Diane, we are NOT getting older. Nope, we're not. 2013 sure flew, though. Lars, I'm sorry December was so difficult for you, I hope January is much better, and all of 2014. I'm sending you hugs, and some to Kevin too. Grainlady, here I have the world's best neighbor. He has a snowblower on his lawn tractor and always clears the driveway. In return I bake him bread. It's a great deal for me! Katie, beans and cornbrad sound really good, I need to get some more of those mayacoba beans, I like them a lot. Rob, you are definitely way late on the gloves. My problem is that I can't seem to do anything with gloves on, so whether it's pumping gas or shoveling hay, I end up pulling the gloves off anyway. Ellen, enjoy those grandkids. I have the Princess and Bud here for the night, so they baked cookies with Elery and we'll have Nutella Crepes for breakfast. Here I finally got garlic into the dehydrator, it was starting to sprout in the cellar. I had planned to keep some for seed garlic but since I put the house up for sale in October and my nephew was still living at the farm, I didn't know where the heck to plant it. So, all that heirloom garlic that Katie sent me is now dried garlic. (sigh) Maybe next year. Tomorrow we'll take the kids home and feed the stock and fill tanks. It was a high of 10F here today and about -3 when I went to the farm. It'll be in the single digits to below zero until the middle of next week and then warm up, but we have "dangerous wind chill" alerts going from Sunday until Tuesday. I hope the tank heater holds out... Angelaid, sometimes it's just like that. Take a deep breath, it'll be better. Stay warm, everyone. Annie

Still clear skies, mostly, but getting colder. The leaves are mostly down. I'm getting out the winter clothes and wrapping the backyard up for another Oregon rainy season. We are hoping for snow this year, after four years with hardly a trace. My son wants to build a microscope this weekend, so we'll do that. My daughter may want to go to the darkroom. I want to take one early morning and go for a bike ride. I might go explore some of the steep windy roads in the West Hill that lead to the zoo. Or just do laps up my local hill, less scenic but a more efficient workout. Sometimes I wear a heart rate monitor on these rides. Afterwards I can look at the data and see how my heart rate spiked when the road turned upwards or when the speed rose. The rule of thumb is that your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. I think that is bunkum, or at least that it varies so much between individuals that it is no rule at all. I have gotten my heart rate up to 200 beats/ minute, only for a few seconds, but those were exhilarating seconds. On a pretty routine basis, I ride at 170 bpm which is 85% of my max heart rate, or a. "submaximal" heart rate. There is a whole science of training by heart rate - you are supposed to spend X time at 80%+ of max, Y time at 60%, and so on. I don't pay attention to that. I just like to get up to 170 bpm frequently and see if anything untoward happens. It is kind of my personal security blanket. There is another test you can do, which is a little more useful. You get your heart rate up to 150 bpm or so, which might mean a few minutes of jumping jacks or chopping wood or running fast. Then stop, sit down, and see how long it takes for your heart rate to settle down to 100 bpm. It should only take one or two minutes. If your heart continues to beat at a high rate for much longer, that is a worrisome sign. This is called "recovery heart rate". Finally, there is "resting pulse". The true resting pulse is taken when you are laying down and completely relaxed. In the morning, right after waking up, is a good time. Some people have a high resting pulse, some a lower one. The interesting thing is how it changes. If you get serious about exercise, you can lower your resting pulse quite dramatically. That is a sign that your heart has become more efficient, which is a good thing. I've been thinking a lot about getting older. My kids are only teenagers, and I'm fifty. I don't know when they will have kids. When I have grandchildren, I want to take them riding and skiing and fishing. That means I will have to be strong and athletic into my seventies. Gulp. My dad had a heart attack in his mid seventies. My neighbor is seventy-five and has CHF and PAH. I've got a lot of work to do, anyway that is how it feels, so I get on the bike every day and push until it hurts. It actually is kind of pleasant to hurt. I think I've learned a little about masochism. But I digress. What were we talking about? Cooking. I'm going to go through my Momofuku cookbook and make some Asian comfort food. Daughter is getting interested in sushi so we'll make some basic rolls. Son is a big ramen fan, we'll roast some pork and leeks and make a big hot bowlful. I'll make some meals for my neighbor with the health problems. And I think I will try baking bread again. I was on a low-carb kick this summer, but it turns out I need some carbs. Carbs = glycogen. Glycogen = muscle energy for efforts longer than a few minutes. No carbs = weak muscles. Doesn't work for me.

Wow. That's one nice looking Clematis Edward. Clematis season has long since passed here (except for the yet to bloom but invasive Sweet Autumn Clematis). The hybrid Clematis leaves around town look pretty bad by now from their exposure to our summer heat and various fungal diseases. Your climate sure suites that vine beautifully and again that pairing with Vertical Horizon is a great combination...........Maryl

I am ready for a nap just reading of all your plans. My weekend so far has been quite glamorous. I dropped Mom at the hairdresser. Today was Perm Day so I had a couple extra hours. I went through the car wash, got gas and returned a pan to BB&B. Then I came home and continued the ultra-glam job of scrubbing the kitchen floor. The grout was filthy. God, I hate that floor with a red hot passion.Then back to retrieve Mom. She smelled like ammonia. I swear I am going to start a blog about that hairdresser and all the riotous elderly patrons. Since the Californians are coming to visit soon, (bro and DS #1), I am trying to get the place straightened up. Never ends. Jakabedy, sounds like we are having the same sort of day. I also bought some tickets on a whim, to hear Mika Brzezinski and her mother, who is a noted sculptor, speak. I have to give the plants a good soak. My grass is now crunchy, it has been so dry. I even watered a young tree the other day. It's a Redbud and I don't want to lose it. And the rest of the weekend is pretty much the same. My two closest friends are away so I have no playmates. Earlier this week I made the drive from Philadelphia, to Portsmoth NH for the night, then Boothbay Harbor Maine. The return trip was Boothbay to Andover MA for the night, then home. My eyes felt like two burned cigarette holes when I pulled in my driveway. Saw one bad accident that put the fear of God in me, although there are still the idiots out there. Lots of backups along the way, too. I could not believe the traffic trying to get on the Tappan Zee going the opposite way from me. I'd have turned around and gone home.