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i got to cafe around 10am, dropping off some supplies with my aunt before heading over to my sister's place. temperature was only at 38°F, but i was hoping it'd warm up eventually. i patched some of the corners with wood filler when i noticed how big the gaps were from photos. while waiting for the filler to dry (didn't take long in this cold weather but the instruction said 15 minutes to harden), i got the primer paint and a brush from the cafe basement. i sanded down the patches, applied some blue tape, stirred the primer, then started painting. the primer said it was good for temperature above 35°F and we were just barely above that. that meant the primer would solidify rapidly, resulting in little crumbs of dried paint whenever i went back over past strokes. i just had to work fast. even then, i didn't finish until 11:45am. i only primed the columns up to 2ft, enough to protect the recently patched and caulked bases.

i arrived in belmont around 12pm. i quickly ran into the garage to push out the mower. after mowing the front lawn (including leaves), i moved into the backyard. temperature was in the lower 40's by then, but it felt warm enough in the sun that i worked only in a t-shirt. i finished by 1pm. i had some time to spare so i set up the batteryminder desulfator/charger onto my motorcycle battery. i really had no choice because i couldn't even start the bike, having left it in the garage for the past 10 days, the battery no longer having enough charge. this is a known problem since last fall/winter, hopefully leaving the battery to desulfate over the weekend can revitalize it. i was a little worried that the battery might not charge well in the cold enclosed garage. later i did some research and saw that the batteryminder (with its ambient temperature sensor) can operate between -4°F (-20°C) to 122°F (50°C), so i'm safe for the time being.

i got back home by 1:40pm. i noticed more police cars outside senator warren's house, now with a K-9 unit as well. i texted bruce i was cleaning up and making some to eat, and would meet them at 2pm, where we were scheduled to pay a visit to the mt.auburn cemetery to check out the fall foliage. after a shower, there wasn't enough time to make anything, so i just ate a banana. i went over to their place at 2pm. once we were ready to leave, i was surprised to learn that bruce had gotten a new car, a blue honda civic, to replace his old green honda civic that was nearly 2 decades old. car technology has changed a lot over the years. this new car had rear and side cameras, airbags everywhere, heated seats, keyless entry, satellite radio, bluetooth, and all digital displays. it was like driving a car from the future.

it was a pleasant autumn day, but the color foliage was lacking as there was still plenty of green. the most colorful trees were sugar maples, which could be spotted from far away. we made our way up to the tower to check out the view.

as for wildlife, there were the grey squirrels and chipmunks. we saw a red-tailed hawk, and two tom turkeys. we also saw a huthatch and a yellow-rumped warbler.

returning home, we made a stopped at formaggio's so bruce and jack could collect some cheese and cured meats. it wasn't even 4pm and formaggio's was as crowded as i'd ever seen it before. i tried some cheese samples and was tempted to get some of my own but was scared off by the crowd. maybe another time, when it's less crowded! but i'm not a cheese connoisseur, i just know i like the blue cheeses. supermarket-bought danish blue cheese is good enough for me.

when i got home i ate one of the soft pretzels my sister gave me yesterday. usually i cut it up into a few pieces and make it into several snack portions, but i was hungry enough that i ate the whole thing, feeling bloated afterwards. i casually saw the news when i left earlier, but confirmed it when i got back: the FBI had caught the MAGA bomber. turned out to be a filipino-native american former stripper floridian.

for dinner i heated up two slices of pot pie. it was more solid a day later, but that couldn't help its bland flavor. i ate while watching game 3 of the world series. it started at 8pm...it's now 2:30am...and the game still isn't over. score tied 2-2, i'm probably going to sleep soon! the longest world series game on record. people just want to go home! it's almost midnight in LA!