Fall weeding, engine work, molting chicken

Brrr....the house is 55 degrees this morning...Fall is definitely back. The porch thermometer confirms the outside temperature is just as cool...it's 8:30 am. Looks like we will be having a very sunny day today again. I hope it stays nice so we can get the truck worked on. Our forecast high is around 80 degrees.

The body is whining from all the weed pulling I did yesterday...too bad, as there is more I intend to do today. This is what I need to be doing...manual labor so I can get myself whipped back into shape and maybe even manage to drop an ounce or two while I'm at it...lol.

Our day started pretty slow...I fixed hubby bacon and eggs and some nice hot chocolate...he was pretty happy to get breakfast. Most mornings he fixes his self a bowl of oatmeal before he heads to work. I keep chocolate Quik on hand and instant oatmeal so he has something if he wants to eat before he goes to work. Lots of times, he just grabs fruit or a snack cake from the corner store on his way to the shop.

Ms Red is definitely in a molt...she looks pretty 'sorry' at the moment with her tail feathers gone and her neck feathers gone in spots. Barney and Ms Piggy seem to be doing just fine. Looks like they all are getting ready for the cooler weather...everyone seems to be huddling together. I have to laugh since the air is still quite warm during the day....Do they know something I don't?

Hubby is back to working on the truck again. I've helped him remove the hood and get the 'cherry picker' set up....that's the engine puller...looks like he'll have it out soon. I'm working on the front beds again trying to get the Spathiphyllum, Peace Lillies, moved from the front bed to under the Bottlebrush tree. They haven't really done well in the very front bed as it gets entirely too much sun. Since these plants like the shade better, I'm sure the move will really get them growing. I've been meaning to move them since I put them there when we first moved out here. Since I want to move these, that means I need to get the other bed weeded and cleaned out a bit so I can put them in the area. Works for me, the sun is just way too hot at the moment in that front bed...I had to stop and find a towel to dry the sweat that was running into my eyes as I was pulling Mex petunias from that bed. Can't believe how profuse the sweat was on my face! Glad I had my hair pulled up, was wringing wet at the back of my neck....a nice glass of iced tea and a break is what I need at the moment....hubby came in for a break about the same time.

Got the weeds and brush that I put in the firepit burned...the smoke that billowed from the green stuff sure was thick. It hung across the neighbor's pasture like fog. Smelled like fall with the fire burning. I raked the pinestraw out of the big flower bed under the Bottlebrush tree and from the walkway...had a full wheelbarrow of that as well. Sure did spark that fire right up! With as much green as was in there, I can honestly say I was very surprised to see it all burn as fast as it did. Even wet pinestraw burns pretty quick....smokes like crazy, but burns fast.
The 'Peace Lillies' are in their new spot...I added more dirt to the area and they are looking happier already. Hubby has the engine out of his truck, the old freeze plugs have been removed. He'll be picking up the new ones on his way home Monday. Talk about junk...those freeze plugs had all rusted through and each was leaking. Every one of them was replaced just four years ago.

The back and legs are protesting...all the bending and stooping while I was pulling weeds has the muscles screaming in protest. My wrists and hands have given up, they have stopped protesting with pain, now they are just numb and my grip strength is nil. Great, guess it's time to put down the rake and call it a day....just as well, I'm losing daylight anyway as the sun is already setting.