Collette's better...

For now at least, Collette is feeling a lot better. We've put her on a diet of plain, home-made chicken broth and poached chicken, with a little bit of yogurt to help settle her stomach. We don't know what was wrong with her, of course, but we're hoping for the best. The good news is that she is eating and enjoying going out for walks. And she doesn't seem to be in pain. Thanks to our friend Helene J. in New York for all the advice, and to her sister Harriet M. in California putting us in touch with Helene again.

The weather has suddenly turned cold. After a week or more of chilly, damp, gray days, it's suddenly bright sunny but very cold outside. This morning everything was frosty white outside, and it's supposed to be even colder tomorrow morning (-3ºC is the prediction). I picked the last eggplants in the garden a couple of days ago, and it's a good thing I did because the plants froze last night. All the dahlias froze too. We had brought a lot of other plants in already -- geraniums, kalanchoes, and nasturtiums in pots, so they are safe.

We're going to have Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday with some people in Blois. There will Amercians and French people there, a total of 10 or 11. We'll have turkey and stuffing and all the other trimmings, including pumpkin pie. Meanwhile, the days are short and the weather is cold, but the sun shines brightly. Here are a few pictures I took this afternoon on my walk with the dog.

Collette out on the road, looking good.

Some nice colors in the back yard.

A trail in the woods out back.

The vines are gold- and copper-colored right now.

The last flowers of summer.