Dorothy, do you have to keep your new pots in the warmth - would freezing damage or break them? It's ironic that here where it's warm I'm building up a supply of cedar kindling and I don't even have a usable fireplace. I only use it in the burning barrel or I can use some starting the charcoal grill (right now I have more kindling than newspaper, the usual starter of choice).

I am alternating activities this afternoon, with an hour of reading for the volunteer museum work with an hour of hauling more wires out of the attic. In addition to more shakes (I filled a 15 gallon black nursery pot) I've pulled the old DSL line through the hole and into the attic (it still terminates in the hall closet, and I'm going to reposition it to wire the master bedroom) and got the coaxial cable that was stuck yesterday free at the outside end and now the whole things moves inside as well.

So - one more attempt at Plan A before considering how to manage plan B (the one that involves moving furniture).

Also noted while up the ladder outside, the soffit near all of this wire activity is slightly sagging in a couple of spots and needs snugging into position now. There was a feather stuck to the line at one point - a past avian death in the attic, I fear, and if this isn't fixed now birds and squirrels will be able to get in. The soffit material is some kind of fiberboard and earlier repairs worked best with wide washers around screws attached at the edges.