I must say the past week’s northeaster was pretty darned remarkable. There were a few gusts that made me fear for life and limb. I made the mistake of going out at one point. It’s astonishing that my car door is still attached.

Sadly, my vegetable garden experienced its first frost of the season right before the big blow.

I lost a beautiful row of late-planted green beans. They were bug-free and blooming like crazy. I managed to eat several tiny beans while admiring them the day before.

I spent an extraordinary amount of time watching television this past week. The footage from the hurricane aftermath was so amazing and scary. I don’t think any photograph could do it justice. We certainly dodged a bullet here on the Vineyard. Violet and I went to Lucy Vincent Beach on Tuesday morning. We got a small picture of the ocean’s power. The beach was barely recognizable.

I am writing on Monday afternoon still extremely grateful to have power. I cannot begin to imagine life in a city during a major weather event with no electricity. I am fortunate to have a wood stove and a gas range. The bad news for me, however, is having a well, which of course means no water without power. I have jugs and buckets everywhere filled with water.

It’s been a busy week on the job sites. I’ve been pruning some of the shrubs. The hydrangeas, although they still look wonderful, are in need of some clipping. I’ve cut back those branches which are rubbing on the house. A word to the wise about foundation plantings. Plant them farther from the house to start. Trust me, they will grow and grow.

Last Friday evening’s mini cold snap caused a bit of anxiety in the garden world. It got down to the mid-30s. Naturally, I was totally unprepared for the event of an actual freeze. There is so much to be done. I like to save my geraniums and begonias. I just yank them out of their summer homes in pots and boxes and place a bunch of them in one pot to winter over in an unheated area of my house. It doesn’t freeze in there but gets pretty cold. I only give them enough water to keep them barely alive until about mid-March.