A HARD FROST-FINALLY!

This morning when I awoke and looked out over the deck roof, there it was, the tell-tale whitish cloak of frost on the roof! If you can believe it, that was the FIRST time I've seen frost this autumn at our home. That's pretty unusual up here in northern New Hampshire.
When I ventured into the living room and looked out at the garden that frost was visible again. The hosta and the peony leaves were all very dark green, and looking just a bit worse for wear. Yup, they had definitely been nipped by a good hard frost.
So the next season has definitely begun! There are a few things that come right up to my gardener's mind. I need to get those hoses into the garage after being drained AND I need to get burlap covers on the shrubs I want to protect from heavy snows. The birdbath needs to be taken in so it doesn't freeze and crack...which I've allowed to happen once too many times!
Then there are the few left over bulbs I haven't gotten into the soil. It's definitely TIME!
If I still lived in Connecticut, I'd be ruminating about the leaves that continue to fall covering the grass...which is NOT a good thing. However, up here in the North Country, I don't worry about leaves too much. There are a few spots we rake, but generally the leaves are not an issue.
So, I welcome the entrance to another season. It will be less colorful, but definitely just as beautiful. I tend to leave the flower stalks with their flower heads containing seeds alone so the birds can find them. They also add a certain interest to the garden. There are times during the winter that I wonder just why it was I left them up. They can begin to look pretty sad, but hey, the birds loved them, so who cares how they look in February?