Today felt like fall in New England – bright and crisply cold. Last night was our first frost; the tomato plants are graying and wilty, but I did find five more decent tomatoes. I guess I can finally pull out the plants and either plant some cover-cropping crimson clover or blanket the garden with leaves. It was 17 degrees last night, which tied 2002 for the record low for the date.
Sylvan and I celebrated fall and our new bike trailer by getting around via bicycle today, despite temperatures that didn’t climb out of the 40s until late this afternoon. This new trailer is narrower than the old one, which makes me much more comfortable riding with traffic, and it has a stroller wheel that can swing down when the trailer and bike are separated. This is super-useful when one has a child who simply can’t stay awake when the vehicle/swing/bicycle/backpack is in motion; instead of sitting and reading the New Yorker while Sylvan slept, I shopped for feta, got a coffee, and solicited for donations for the Friends of Buford Park’s silent auction.
Sylvan helped me rake maple leaves this afternoon. Well, okay, the verb rake is a stretch; Sylvan wasn’t so good with the rake, and I managed to uncover only a very small portion of the yard, but it didn’t matter, because at least one of us obviously had fun.
And here is Elvis from his 70s Vegas years, a costume Sylvan was able to wear three times this season, since he’s such a little party animal. He wore the costume well, despite its short length, since I made it from a 6-9 month sleeper, and scratchy neck. He also had to deal with eyeliner sideburns and chops and a scarf that was so long for the first party that he stepped on it again and again. He’s a trouper. This photo is from the first party and shows the costume best, although the thunderbird my Mom suggested I make for the back is quite impressive but not quite visible in this photo.