We chucked our plans to drive to Saratoga Springs for Indian food and focused instead on painting our huge dining room table, a place we rarely eat but which is the heartbeat of the farmhouse.

We put all kinds of things on the table except food – mail, cameras, bills, hats and sweaters, books, mail, packages, pens and paper, things for the Mansion or the refugees.

We eat in the living room usually, the fish tank between us. Lots of snail talk.

I helped sand and prime and then went outside to pour and rake the very heavy bags of river stones I bought today to place around the pasture gate where water freezes and people fall.

I wanted to see how far my back could go.

It went pretty far. I was out there for a couple of hours and it’s pretty cold before my back suggested enough was enough. I loved it though, Maria calls me the Bedlam Army Corps of Engineers and this is more of my pre-winter preparation.

My heart was happy even as I raked leaves for two hours. We decided to rake ourselves this year, rather than hire somebody. We had fun doing it, even in the rain.

But I am tired.

We are waiting for the primer to dry. We both like the orange color better than the pink we had before. I’m going to work with the roller.

I’m going to make dinner soon, some edamame pasta with some crackers spread with liver pate and goat cheese. And hopefully, we’ll finish painting tonight and I can write some more