So, what do you want to know about my hot tub?

It is a beautiful October morning -- and I was standing knee deep (literally) in water in the hot tub scrubbing it down.  Suddenly, as my aching back caused me to stand up, I (once again literally) gasped in amazement as all the colors of the sky and the trees and the lower field hit my vision at once.  It was such staggering beauty.  Wow.

Oh the hot tub.  Such a ball and chain that thing has been.  Peter shut it down several summers ago and all the crap in the lines that hardened has been joining us for each and every hot tub event ever since.  It is gross.  Even though you know it's not big chunks of skin floating around, it is hard to ignore.  Disgusting.  Peter tried to wet-vac up the clumps of the stuff this weekend, and was feeling as though he'd really gotten a handle on it.  The thing is, even 10 small pieces of blech floating around is just not good.

We had to get some more chemicals, so off we went up north to the spa and pool store.  (It was deliciously gorgeous out on Sunday, but it was interesting to note that the foliage is peaking here and over up there.)  Seems early.  Anyway, we got to chatting with the girl at the store, and while we explained that we had crystal clear water, we were still battling gook from an error past.  She suggested that not only do we do Spa Purge, but because I have a hard time with immersing myself in chemicals, we stop using the old system of bromine (or chlorine?) and move to this other system that is silky smooth, odor free, and now that I am typing this, I have no idea what it is -- but she probably didn't say chemical free, right?  I can pretend.  Or even better, look it up!  Un momento por favor.

SilkBalance System ... Well it says that it is going to keep my spa clean and my body silky smooth without the use of chemicals.  It then goes on to discuss some such thing called BioFilm Dispersion Technology, which in a nutshell doesn't let gunk collect in your pipes, etc., and helps maintain hygiene and safer water.  Upon further research (which is kind of funny, isn't this something you are supposed to do BEFORE you switch?!)   Well, I am sorry I went off on THAT tangent -- geesh.  I have just been reading a message board with some people for and some people against the SilkBalance system.  Whatever, since we needed to do something ANYthing, to get rid of our original problem, it is worth a try.

I will say that the purge stuff seemed to work like a charm, because the ozonator was going mad this morning!  (You leave it in overnight, and then drain the tub.)  I wiped up very little of the "pieces" that have been haunting us ... so hopefully it will all work.

And now that I am done that project, I am off to clean up the raspberry beds and surround the thriving kale plants with straw so that I can keep them around for as long as possible.  I am already missing my cucumbers ... and while there are tons of green tomatoes on the vines, I don't think they are going to be able to mature as the days get so cold.  I know I should tear them down, but it was painful enough tossing away the cucumber vines.  I did transplant several basil TREES (they are ginormous!) and am bringing them into the house and see how they winter over.  All that I have read about them says that I will fail -- and that it would be easier to start a plant from seed, but I had six of the most gorgeous basil trees in my garden, and it's hard to imagine just letting them die!  So I have rescued a green and purple ... and the rest must fend for themselves.  Seriously, this is a brutal time of year for me.  After having that lush garden, to have it all die ... and even worse, to have to resort to having to BUY this stuff in a store ... it's just so sad.

Really one of the most frustrating things about this time of year is that you can NOT capture it.  While this looks pretty enough, it does not even come close to portraying the absolute magnificence one feels looking out at this, or being in it.