Tuesday, 9/29/2020: Just before toddling off to bed most nights, I watch the local news and weather. Unexpectedly, last night Ross said to expect the temperatures this (early) morning to drop into the low 40s (Fahrenheit). I was already in my night clothes; but, I stepped out onto the front porch to gather in the tropical plants - all two of them - and put them into the entry hall. That was a good thing. When I came back from grocery shopping this morning (at 6:30am), I found that our thermometer read 40 degrees. The cold nipped a banana pepper plant; but, otherwise, did no damage.
The folding wrought iron stand on which the plants had been standing while on the front porch is in the right-hand background. The hanging table upon which one of the plants will sit for the winter (barely) shows in the left-hand background - in the dining room. Today, I plan to pot up one of the variegated airplane plants that is in the ground, for the winter. Last winter, I had not dug any for over-wintering inside. Since I'm not sure how hardy those plants really are, I'd like the assurance of having at least one plant survive each winter.
It occurred to me that I had failed to bring in the aloe plant that had summered on the steps to the front porch. It's hardy enough that it will be okay; but, it needs to come in for the winter.
Wednesday, 9/30/2020: Oh, my, how oblivious can I get? Today, I placed all of the plants from the front porch into their appointed positions in the dining room. Had I let it go at that, I would have been ahead of the game. No. I had to bring the two plants in from the basement escape window well - not the easiest thing in the world since one of the plants had, as usual, sent out runners that had immediately taken root in the sand/dirt of the window well. I had to cut those runners near the pot rim. In doing so, I came up with another problem.
Remember that we usually have a critter or two living in our basement escape window well; but, we hadn't seen much of it/them, this summer. That's probably because I had so much foliage in the window well - the two indoor plants that I mentioned in the previous paragraph and a couple of hosta plants that are planted in the sand/dirt of the window well. As I started to lift the aloe plant from the window well into my sewing room, I saw that a fat little (fist-sized) critter was hunkered down in the pot. I endured getting pissed on when I shooed the critter away and decided to bring the aloe plant in, second.
Thinking that the critter had hidden in the foliage that had been severed from the second plant, I brought the second plant inside and placed it in the dining room. Of course, at that point, the critter leapt out at me - more peeing. I chased it all over the dining room and the critter, eventually, went under the server. That's the last I saw of it. It may be clinging to the underside of the server; but, I couldn't find the critter by moving the server. Eventually, I'll probably find its desiccated body; but, I've brought in critters before and they tend to find their way into the sump in the basement. We shall hope and see.
Bad goes to a little worse. When I brought the aloe plant into my sewing room from the basement escape window well, a tiny critter leapt out. It sought refuge under a piece of furniture on wheels, so I was able to trap and release that critter back into the window well.
Friday, 10/2/2020: What a surprise! When I go to bed, I turn on my radio-controlled clock radio which is always tuned to one of the local NPR stations. It stays on all night, with BBC providing the programing from midnight to 5am. I nearly always get the late-breaking news via BBC during the night. At 5am, when the programing returns to the local station, I use a remote control to turn on another radio (across the room) that has actual bass output which makes it easier for me to hear the news as I lazily lie abed. All went well, this morning, until about 5:20am, at which time the local station started its fall beg-a-thon. Although I've supported the local stations for 30 years (and NPR-affiliated stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Albuquerque, for 9 years prior to that), I hate listening to the begging. I habitually turn off the radio when it starts - which I tried to do, this morning. For some reason, my clock radio would not turn off - nor would the other radio. WTH?!
I bounded from bed, and fought my way through the tropical plants that I had brought in for the winter to get to the bass-y radio. Imagine my surprise when three small birds flushed from the plants! Quickly, I closed the door to the bathroom and the door to the hallway, in order to assure that the birds didn't escape into the rest of the house. The birds settled down, at which time I got a better look at them. They looked like tiny owlets! I threw a sheet over them, in order to gather them up. Even more of a surprise was the fact that, under the sheet, the three little critters wriggled and rolled about, and let out meowing sounds such as any proper little kittens would do. What a dream!
When I came fully awake, I found the begging to be continuing; but, in reality, I was able to turn off both radios. Whew! I don't have any of the over-wintering plants in my bedroom (although I've considered putting one of the plants there) and birds don't turn into kittens. I hadn't been able to sleep very much, but I hadn't expected to hallucinate!
The last photo shows the plants that were brought inside - in their actual location, our dining room. (One more aloe is in my sewing room.) The scraggly little plant on the top shelf of the wrought iron stand is the variegated airplane plant that I had dug up from the yard. The (larger) non-variegated airplane plant is on the lower shelf, mostly hidden by the table and chair.
Later that night: When I went downstairs to dress for bed, I heard an unmistakable "hop...hop...hop" coming from my sewing room. Short version: I trapped that sucker and put it out in the window well where it belonged. I don't know that it was the same frog as had been loose in the dining room; but, I do know that the house is now home to one fewer frog.
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