Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2026

Weather | 10/26, p. cloudy, 49°, 73° | 10/27, cloudy, 49°, 70° | 10/28, cloudy, 51°, xx° | 10/29, xx°, xx° | 10/30, xx°, xx° | 10/31, xx°, xx° | 11/1, xx°, xx° |

• Monday, 10/26-Tuesday, 10/27: Giant Tomato Vines
  • I'm on the same head-down regimen, although I must admit, I'm very poor at following it too closely. I walk 2-3 miles each day up and down our quarter-mile lane. It keeps me sane and gives Cooper good exercise.
  • An area farmer was combining across the gravel road and down the hill to the south of our property. A south breeze blew dust our way, so I continue to have allergy problems with my right eye. I wash my face more frequently and wear a pair of chemical splash eye guards when I'm outside.
  • Mary cleared all of the vegetable plants from the far garden. In some cases, she removed 20-foot vines that traversed across several rows of the garden. The black cherry tomatoes grew the longest vines and any spot where the vines touched the ground, they took root. It took Mary two days to complete this task, partly because she's allergic to the mold that grows on tomato plants, so she had to take breaks.
  • On Tuesday, Mary mowed the far garden, then spread compost on three of the four rows in that garden. She also turned the first row's soil and mixed in our wonderful compost.
  • In the evening, Mary popped the cloves for three varieties of garlic. This involves half of the garlic varieties she plants. She's determined to get garlic in the ground before rain that is predicted to fall very early Friday morning.
  • The early youth deer hunting season took place over the past weekend. We only heard one shot through the three-day season. An online report said there were lower numbers of deer taken this year, probably due to the high temperatures.
  • First-time birds that Mary discovered while using the Merlin app on her phone include an orange-crowned warbler, an American pipit, a ruby-crowned kinglet, a Lincoln's sparrow, and a purple finch.
  • Cooper is keeping the squirrels honest. Twice, he ran to within a couple feet a squirrel's backside while on a chase. It's great fun for him.