Girding ourselves in fleece.

I suppose I must throw in the towel and admit that summer is - sigh - over.  It was a crisp 30* this morning and the frost was on the pumpkins.  And the popcorn.  And the deck.

I had left Pepper sound asleep on the chair-and-a-half, swaddled in a towel, snoring away, when I went to bed.  At 2A, I was jolted out of sleep by pitiful wailing and scratchings at my bedroom door.  I opened it, looked down, and there was the pitiful black and tan mop, shivering and looking up mournfully.  Then he bolted through the door and flung himself at my bed.  I snuggled him between pillows and down comforter and he was out.  I took pity on him and let him sleep as long as he wanted - he lasted until 7!  Not a morning dog.

When I got up for good, I went into the living room to find Lovey trying to crawl under Scrappy.  I rummaged around and found Bernie's fleece coat (which she abhorred) and put it on Lovey.  After she decided that it was not going to attack and consumer her, she decided it was very nice.  I built a fire in the fireplace, made a cuppa and sat down with my knitting.

All, in all, a very fine start to a Monday morning.  Not counting having to clean up the mouse bits, strewn down the hall...