Car, trees, garden, apples

I took my car to the mechanic shortly after 8 am (early!). The car started fine this morning. The mechanic couldn't find why the car won't start occasionally. The battery is fine and the starter is fine. His theory is the starter may have a flat spot and the interior brushes occasionally stop in a position where it takes a lot of effort to move them again when trying to start the car. Replacing the starter would cost $180. I decided to wait to see if the problem occurs again, then see.

The noisy engine is not a bad manifold, but the flex pipe between the manifold and muffler. Cost to fix: $80. I will have that fixed when the part arrives tomorrow.

I wanted to get a tuneup but the cost was too much. It turns out the screws holding the distributer cap have rusted in place and to do the tuneup I would have to replace the distributer cap. A new distributer alone is over $450. I decided not to get a tuneup done.

I have not had a frost yet. A frost came close a few times as my cucumber plants have some withered leaves. Last night I thought I would get a frost. The weather forecast predicted a low temperature of 35 so I didn't cover my garden. When I went to bed the temperature was already 35 and that was before 1 am. I had hours to go until the sun rose. Looking outside I saw the clouds had dissipated over the Valley and without clouds we were rapidly losing heat. High clouds were arriving from the north and starting to cover the partial moon. It was cold and late and I was tired. I was in no mood to get my tarps and cover my garden in the darkness. I went to bed expecting to lose some of my garden.

This morning - as I had to get up early to take my car to the mechanic - I noticed no frost, but a heavy wet dew. The temperature was just over 32. The sky above was clear though clouds were towards the mountains and therefore blocking the sun. Clouds ringed the Valley as it was clear only above the Valley. Somehow it didn't freeze.

During the morning clouds formed and dissipated and so too did fog near rivers and streams, but eventually sun won out and it warmed up.

This afternoon I thought I would take a few minutes to trim more tree branches before working on my fence posts. I never got to the fence posts. I trimmed the rest of the dead and dying branches that I could reach from the ground and ladder on the trees over the patio. I will leave the dead branches way up high till next year in hopes the winter winds will take care of them for me.

On a roll, I decided to trim a few dead branches on the tree SE of the house, my "Lord of the Rings" Ent tree. It turned out to be more than a couple branches once I got into the tree. One large branch fell straight down and on top of the fence. *sigh* The falling branch broke the top fence board. When I want the branch to fall straight down it swings and falls elsewhere; when the branch should swing and fall elsewhere it falls straight down.

When picking up the cut branches I found my missing from mid-summer pair of sunglasses. I had thought I lost them out in the north pasture so it was a great surprise to find them in the yard south of the house.

Having cut the branches down I had to cut them into small pieces to burn in my wood stove this winter. I got all but a few branches cut into pieces tonight.

I am done with my apples. I decided to pick the last of them as a few yellowjackets were still about and eating the apples. Instead of waiting till the apples fall to the ground the yellowjackets were eating apples off the tree. Darn wildlife!