Getting Ready for Winter . . . and for the Storm

Went outside before 2:00 to work in the yard and didn't come back in till almost 6:00. Mowed the grass, edged, trimmed, pulled up the tomato plants, emptied flower pots, took up one of the outside hoses, and Evelyn and I got all the furniture and the grill off the deck. The temperature on our front porch registered 49 degrees  when I went outside, and there was a gusty breeze to make the temperature feel even colder. I pushed "shuffle" on my iPod, and the Christmas carols that came up seemed appropriate! Didn't get everything cleaned up and put away; decided to leave some of the flowers on the deck and front porch, because they're still blooming! But I got a bunch done, and it felt like more than four hours on my aching back when I got inside. That hot shower felt good.
Evelyn raked leaves while I was outside and then came inside to make some wonderful vegetable soup. We had some for supper and we're saving the rest for Halloween. The plan is to have the Webers come celebrate with us and take two little girls trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. The weather report is for chilly with showers, so I hope that doesn't wash out our plan.
Both Jennifer and Geoff called during the evening. They're waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit right between Philly where Jen is and NY where Geoff is. Things should be pretty crazy by sometime tomorrow or tomorrow evening, a great chance for power outages as well heavy rains and flooding. Geoff and Lisa live about one or two blocks from the mandatory evacuation zone in their neighborhood. They seem to be as prepared as they can be, and it was good to talk with them this evening.