Hello to all! It is cold here in Colorado. Woke up at 6:30 to a chilly 32 degrees outside!! The weather said yesterday that we could get down to about 35 and possibly have frost, so I decided that it would be best to go ahead and pick all the cherry tomatoes left on the plants and the last two crookneck....just in case. It did get down to freezing but there wasn't much moisture in the air so we didn't actually have any frost. I figured that if I grabbed all the tomatoes I could and did freeze, so be it, if it didn't....there are still lots of green ones wanting to ripen. So I'll go take a look at them in a bit and see how they faired.

We used the new pellet stove this morning to take the chill off the house. I only left it running on high for about an hour and that did the trick. Didn't want to leave it on any longer than that because we are supposed to get up into the 70's today and didn't want to overheat the house and make it uncomfortable later on in the day. This coming weekend and the first of next week are supposed to be quite cold so we'll be using it again then. Speaking of stoves, the previous owners left a wood stove out in the room off the garage (this is actually the size of a 1 car wide, 2 car deep garage that we separated into two rooms...a gym and a den) and we just ordered the kit to install the pipe through the wall (they just had it out the window LOL). We'll still need to buy a few long pieces of pipe to finish it completely, but we are hoping to get it done when hubby is home waiting on me hand and foot ummm helping me after my surgery....so sometime in November. We want to be able to go out there, start a fire and stay warm (and cook...oh how I miss that) on the wood stove if we have the need to, due to no electricity and very cold temps.....which is what happened last year! We do have a generator, but if it's that cold...we'd be better off trying to heat a small room (the den) than the bigger rooms in the house. We also want to be able to just go out and spend an evening in front of the fire occasionally and play games or watch a movie even when the power is still on. We both grew up with wood stoves and had one the first 6 years of marriage and miss it. Unfortunately, we are 2 hours from the mountains and buying wood around here is expensive (esp when it's not hard wood!!) which is why we'll only be using it on occasion and have the pellet stove for our main heat source in the house.

There have been many changes (again...I can't keep up!!) in regards to Mommy and Grandson. They, at this point in time, will no longer be moving down here with us. I have many mixed feelings about this, but know that it is in the Lord's hands and is what is supposed to be right now. We just bought a web cam yesterday and Mommy's mom (the Lord is working here too and her and I are becoming very good friends) dug hers out and we will be getting them hooked up hopefully tomorrow so that we can see and hear Grandson and he can see and hear us. It's not the same as getting to hold him, but it will have to do for now. At least he'll be able to recognize his dad's face and voice this way and won't be scared when we get to see him in person again. I also think it will be good for Son since he only had the first month with him and a week last month and hasn't really gotten to bond as much as he needs to. Oh how I wish things were different with this situation, but what is done is done and is in the Lord's hands and I just have to have faith that things will be okay.

My honey left this morning for another short deployment. He'll only be gone three weeks (yes I say ONLY because after being a military wife for as many years as I have....3 weeks is a short time) and will be home four days before my surgery. Then he'll get to stay home for up to 3 weeks to drive me crazy ...I mean take care of me. LOL I am trying to get as many meals cooked and frozen as I can beforehand as well as a bunch of cleaning done, so that he and Son won't be too overwhelmed.  Yeah right!  They are going to be in for a surprise when they realize all the little things that have to be done on a daily basis that they don't have to deal with!  LOL  But, I'm going to try to get what I can done now so that it'll be easier on them.  Of course hubby threatened to keep me drugged up all day so he didn't have to deal with me! HAHA  I'm going to try to be as gentle with them as I can. 

Well, I'd best be going, this morning was crazy, dropping Son off at school, then taking Hubby to post, then coming home to meet a friend who was picking up and dropping off things....then had to run to the airport  cause Hubby forgot his cell phone .  Nothing has gotten done yet and I am in need of a nap until my medication kicks in again.  So I'd better go so that I can be somewhat productive this afternoon and evening.  I'll be updating tomorrow on my health issues as I have an appointment so until then.....

God Bless,

Tricia

BTW....Jeannie should have internet tomorrow so make sure you go over to her blog (RusticWheelAcres) to say hello.