This morning saw the removal of the summer programmable watering system (for up to four hoses) off of the back yard spigot and replaced with a simple splitter for running one or the other or both. The final shift before a heavy freeze is to remove that and put a styrofoam faucet cover and some other insulating stuff over the spigot (that is probably weeks away). And before heading out I took the new can of WD-40 with its much more convenient spray setup (I guarded and used that little red tube on the old can forever; I should have ditched it ages ago!) and got the rollers under the back sliding glass door loosened up and flowing. A friend commented last week that all I needed to do for a full-body workout was open and close that door a couple of times a day.

Yesterday the old heavy White Series 77 rotary sewing machine went into the shop for a tune up and two small repairs. And I spent a couple of hours comparing the new machines. I'm not ready to buy one yet, I have things to do here to be ready for that big change (because once that device is in the house I'll ignore everything else!) Machines have come a long way in the last 82 years. I have an even older White in a table that has a knee operation instead of foot; later I'll take it in for rewiring and a new foot and then list it on eBay. I think I can adapt the table to fit the machine I'm keeping.

I've decided it is time to remove the mess in the front corner of the house that was at one time intended to be an asparagus bed. The weedy Carolina snailseed vines have overrun it and I haven't been able to harvest any of the asparagus in a couple of years. It's a green tangle that needs to be completely dug up. Doing it this time of year means any asparagus roots I find I might be able to transplant for use next year. To someplace less compromised by the intense native vine. This job will require the spade fork and full-size mattock (and the wheelbarrow to catch all of the vines and roots).

Family have been slow to offer up their dates for our movable feast known as Thanksgiving. The long weekend has four days, we don't need to do it on Thursday, but I do need to load up on some of the basics. Must gently prod again today for an answer.