Crispy, a close call

It was a bit crispy last night with a low of 33 F, 1 degree above freezing and a frost for all the literate people out there who the C scale.  This is a little bit early for a frost, but not much.  The close call was that TPP forgot that he needed basil for a salmon marinade this morning, and there are very few plants that are more sensitive to frost than basil.  So our dinner party dodged a culinary bullet.  A bit of bok choi and lettuce are all that remain in the garden with any potential, and they are comfy in their cold frame.  The sugar maples are beginning to show some color and the sassafras in the far back corner of the estate is already a nice orange-yellow.  A newly planted tupelo is beginning to show promise for being a colorful fall plant.  Six foot tall elephant ear and cannas still stand tall and will until we get a real hard frost, or until the Phactors get impatient and just decide to dig them anyways.  TPP is not real keen on more digging.  Our field work has already involved way too much digging to suit my aching hip.  So now it's time to swing through a farmer's market, pick up a couple of new shrubs, and finish up preparations for the dinner party which includes a chocolate cranberry tart.