"sudden splurge" katy, where have you been? Tell me that you have been knee deep in thistles or basking in the non inclement weather, tell me that you have been wanting to write but were only waiting for November. Then tell me about this predicted "short winter" and how you plan to use the limited time to add to the splurge.
Here, the leaves fell suddenly as the temperature too fell and winds perversely increased, summer shade was brought to the ground. Is it part of a plan or should we learn to adapt to whatever changes occur and/or do we have a choice?

Well INK
Yes, there has been a sudden unaccounted for activity on the boards after months of nothing new, there were three new topics!!!

NO, I have not been even ankle deep in thistles - leaves yes, thistles no. And basking in mild November weather - you bet I did! It is like being on borrowed time and worthy of taking advantage of. I still have some roses to prune before the 'real winter' arrives.

I am not a lover of winter but have braved everywhere from Buffalo and Albany NY as well as Erie, PA and Cleveland, I suffer it. Any winter that fails to start before mid November is good and it shortens winters that can go on until March or even April.

How do I plan to use this winter time? - reading and writing nonsense on boards such as these and catching up on blogs etc.

And as for reading, I picked up the 2006 Writer's Market this week as well as a book on Creative non-fiction, something that I have wanted to write for several years, and truly think I can do, but have never attempted to put anything like it onto paper -so maybe this winter will be the time to do that.

And yes we do adapt to whatever we are dealt, and constantly moving, or enduring different situations gives me the skills and tools to more readily adapt.