Saturday, September 12, 2020

I'm Cold and We Get Mountains Once Again!

It's been cold here, although today it's actually in the upper 50's F at 5:30 am, instead of in the mid to low 40's. I'll take it. Unfortunately, we're supposed to be wet today - rain all day - so DH may not get any shed work done, despite the slightly higher temps. Still, he's pulled the blanket from storage to put onto his bed, and I'm thinking about doing the same for mine. I'm wearing my store cardigan again, and my short sleeved t-shirts have been put aside for my long-sleeved ones. It's September in the Frozen Northlands, and even though we're a bit ahead of schedule, Fall is on the way. 




Although this isn't from this year, it is ice at the edge 
of one of the bays at Lake Minnetonka in the western 
suburbs of the Twin Cities. Ice can be beautiful, but 
I'm not quite ready for it yet. 


With two months before the national election, the commercials are increasing, the accusations are flying, and the general unpleasantness that is the standard for political opponents seems to be kicking into high gear. I'm not really sure who the speeches and commercials are directed toward. Everyone I know already knows who they want to vote for in the November election. Most of us are planning to vote by mail too. DH wants to vote in person, but I voted by mail for the primary and I'll repeat the process for the main election. I have no intention of standing outdoors in a cold November morning waiting for the polls to open and be socially distant. I want to be warm - I'm totally a Weather Wuss! 




I ordered three of these plant protectors from 
Amazon. I looked at a lot of similar items, 
but a lot of them were only 24 inches high. 
I needed taller for my tomatoes. These are 
70 inches high - much better - and they 
were reasonably priced. 


At least I didn't have to cover my tomato plants to protect them from the frost last night. We were in the 40's, not the upper-mid thirties, so they could stay outdoors. It's getting to the end of their bearing season, but it was glorious while it lasted, and I still have a few that could ripen before the plants are finished for the season. I did buy three plant protectors from Amazon early this morning, for next year's crop. I'll be prepared - LOL. 



Today's stage has a flat finish, but a few mountains 
for the fun of it. It's a long stage, so the riders will 
be happy to eat, get their massages, and fall into 
their beds tonight. 



Today is Day 14 of Le Tour de France, and it's a flat stage as they get closer and closer to the Alps. The riders are moving from Clermont-Ferrand to Lyon, a "flat" stage, but a long one at 194 km. Yesterday's mountaintop finish was glorious and hard fought. We were pulling for the riders with every push of their pedals. Today should be a bit easier. Tomorrow's, Stage 15 will have a bit more topography. 



On Sunday, for Day 15 of Le Tour, the ride 
will end on the storied and celebrated slopes 
of Grand Colombier. It'll be fantastic, and 
so much fun to be back in the mountains once 
again. 



My personal blog has had a software change, and I'm trying to adapt to the new formatting necessities. I really hate change when it comes to my daily posts, etc. Often I don't have a lot of time to get my posts written and published, and fussing with new formatting, etc, hoping that everything will turn out properly when I repost onto Live Journal and Dreamwidth, is a PITA. On that note, I'm going to try to get pictures inserted and hopefully everything will cross-post successfully. Have an excellent Saturday. 





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