Designers want me to dress like Spring, in billowing things. I don't feel like Spring. I feel like a warm red Autumn. - Marilyn Monroe

Of all the seasons, autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him. - Hal Borland

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. - George Eliot

After moving to our mountain homestead in the summer of 2013, I was hesitant to make many seasonal modifications for fear of killing a perennial or stunting next year’s growth. Objects around the property which seemed in disrepair went untended as I didn’t even know what some things were used for. This year I am rolling up my sleeves, no longer afraid to make this place my own. I told the mountain, “I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

My first task this fall was to address several of the tall front beds where lilies and other brilliant bulbs had bloomed all spring and summer and could now be cut to the ground for the winter. Since I was recently authorized to operate the big STHL gas powered string trimmer, I felt empowered to tackle this chore. And it went pretty well for a bit. However not far into the second bed I must have disrupted a nest of bees in the ground....and they were not happy with me. My cutesy little mantra of “go away little bee” was out the window and the rest of the bed is still waiting for cooler weather and calmer bees to be cut.

We have finally cleared the last of the summer garden. Cog was kind enough to till it for me with the big Husqvarna. One of the many advantages of having someone twice my size and strength was obvious as I watched him finish the task in half the time it would have taken me. We still have a portion of the old garden fence standing inside the new garden fortress, but we can pull that down in between other more pressing fall tasks.

Always busy with projects, Cog has spent various blocks of time over the past two weeks on a ladder waterproofing and caulking the log cabin, specifically the south side which has been hammered by the weather and was far overdue for treatment. In the midst of this the new sliding glass door arrived, and over several days he installed, stained, polyurethaned and re-insulated the entryway.

I am waiting for a few finishing touches to be completed such as the interior trim to be installed, but it is fully functional and provides a spectacular view through a glass pane which in the old sliding door was fogged from a broken vacuum seal.

Although we have begun cutting wood to heat with for the winter, and certainly have enough dead wood and trees that need to be thinned to keep us warm for many years to come, we have ordered a few loads of wood to be delivered this weekend. We did this in order to maintain a local firewood relationship we established last year when we were not yet cutting our own wood. With temperatures expected in the 40°s and 50°s this weekend, it is perfect wood stacking weather.

Transitioning into chilly weather mode I made time in the evenings to get back to some crocheting. I've decided this fall’s early fashion from the mountain are fingerless mittens, more commonly called texting mitts. I whipped up a pair to match each of the scarves and headbands I made last winter. I suspect more of these will also be distributed in a few holiday packages this year.

We may be accepting the change of seasons in stride, but I am finding new blooms of whispy purple summer flowers in several beds. One I put into a pot of dirt and then forgot for a week and it grew even more brilliant. Someone forgot to memo the petunias that winter is coming.

Mrs. Cog

October 2, 2014

September 16, 2014

Dear TIF Premium Members and Frequent Visitors,

As you know Two Ice Floes has been up and running since Valentine’s Day of this year. After much discussion and careful evaluation by us, we now better understand what it is that our members and frequent visitors value most. Furthermore we have more clarity as to what content people want in order to join our site, thus providing the opportunity for our continuing efforts to keep Two Ice Floes flourishing.

Over the next week or so we will be changing the portions of the website that can currently be accessed by the general public. You may have noticed some of these formatting changes as they were rolled out over the past few weeks as the content from ‘Mrs. Cog’s Corner’ and ‘On the Mountain’ Projects are now, and will remain, accessible to the general public.

Cog’s library will become for the most part restricted to members only, as will certain upcoming publications marked with a (Ψ). We are creating a Basic Level membership for a flat $20 per year which will be a read-only pass to all content on the site except the forums. Basic members will be able to leave comments under articles, but they will not be able to read or participate in the forums.

Current (Premium) Members and those signing on at the current $50 per year /$30 per six months rate will have access to all site content as well as the forums and comment sections. The only change you will see is that you will need to be logged in to view much of what had been available for the public to view including the forums. Additional enhancements are in the works for Premium Members as well.

After the changes are fully implemented, new links will be placed at the top of the left-hand black sidebar on the home page to direct everyone to both restricted and public information. No one will need wonder where anything is located or what, if any, level of membership will be required to access it.

Having been online at Two Ice Floes (TIF) for more than six months we feel we have found our bearings and can now set our course. With more than a quarter million hits to the site we would like to encourage many of our regular visitors who are not members to join as Basic Members and support our efforts. In return we will continue to publish original material while sharing our unique slice of reality.

We welcome new voices to our conversations and encourage the majority of our membership, most of who do not comment, to jump in and share your thoughts, discoveries and links.

Thank you for your patience during this brief period of transition.

Mr. & Mrs. Cognitive Dissonance

By Mrs. Cog

Alert the media, I am officially finished with summer canning. In all honesty, I have taken to heaving the last of the over-ripe or damaged tomatoes from our back deck down the mountain and into the woods. Originally justifying this activity as feeding the woodland animals, I must admit I am getting a sick satisfaction at the concept of no more tomatoes, at least until next year.

With the weather becoming chilly earlier than expected this year, everything growing is in a state confusion. This did not seem to impact the three pecan trees we planted in the back yard. I’m not sure whether they needed a few months to get rooted in their new home or if their growth spurts normally happen at the end of summer, but they have exploded in growth the past few weeks. As they need other varieties of pecans nearby to cross-pollinate, it is important they are all healthy.

I enlisted the child-unit to assist in clearing the back deck and front porch of potted plants and hanging baskets. Every year I promise myself to get this done before the bitter cold arrives but I never do. A few days of mild temperatures have allowed us to save those plants which need to come inside, empty the dirt from the rest in a place we can reuse it next year and wash and stow all the outdoor containers. I have taken the time to note what was successful and what simply created extra work and duplicated things that could be achieved easier in the garden.

We brought in a few of the still vibrant flowers to continue growing in the sunroom. I have begonias and impatience that are in their third year when they are supposed to be annuals. We also saved a large pot of peppermint plants for tea and several purple basil plants. Unlike last year, I opted not to bring in most herbs since I proved the summer could provide ample quantities for the entire year and they always bring little bugs inside with them.

Cog has been busy starting the cutting of fire wood. We may not get our winter heat from Gazprom, but that doesn’t mean heating costs won’t continue to creep up stateside. With a back of the envelope calculation, we estimate that a harsh winter will require nine cords of wood to heat the house, the out buildings and provide hot water. This in turn keeps the electric bill to a minimum and keeps the air from getting dry as our wood stove is a water-wood boiler.

In addition to his (wood) stacking activities, I am very happy to share that Cog has finally acquired an old pick-up truck. We are attempting to school him to say tru-uck in a southern accent when talking to the locals, but his New England accent has made this a running joke. He can’t even say the word in private without laughing out loud.

Cog’s new (used) truck is gold (lol), a four wheel drive, 2000 Ford Ranger with many miles on it. Used primarily locally, not only was a new friend made while negotiating the deal, but the truck is in relatively good shape. With a bit of under the hood maintenance, rust removal and some new tires, it should make it around the mountain and even down most logging roads for Cog’s heavier chores. He is now in process of detaching himself from his beloved Camry to sell it since his commuting days are behind him. I am hoping he can fetch a good price for it as I have my eye on a shiny new hydraulic log splitter and yes, more mason jars. :-)

The apples were a family effort this week as even Cog joined in. He opted for the therapeutic job of cranking the apple pieces through the Victorio Food Strainer after they had been softened in a big kettle of simmering water for a half hour. Our third and final batch yielded 14 quarts of my “Dutch Applesauce”, recipe available upon request.

Declaring that the crates of tomatoes stacked in front of the piano would be the last I canned this year, I set to processing pizza sauce in several large kettles while I “boiled down” Roma tomatoes in the crockpot overnight for a wonderful tangy bbq sauce. With Cog’s help, I pushed through a two day canning effort for my summer Grand Finale. Over the next week I will finish pulling out the semi-blighted remaining plants with any attached tomatoes so that we can ready the garden for winter and spring.

Tramp, our coon cat, has adopted a feral gray cat as his buddy. Not only has the gray kitty learned that meowing outside the window beside Cog’s desk can get him fed asap, but gray kitty now enlists Tramp to come inside early in the morning and scream at Cog until he gets out of bed and prepares their morning feast. It appears Tramp only does this on the mornings when gray kitty is outside waiting. “Come on! I’ve got company. Let’s not keep him waiting. Meow, meow (chop, chop).”