Harvesting Soybeans

Standing on the edge of the deck this morning I noticed sparkling little ice crystals on the deck's corner.   I knew the roofs of the buildings had been frosted but hadn't seen any frost on the fields.  Last night the weatherman finally announced frost warnings on the 10 p.m. news.  Fortunately I'd already taken precautions:

• The flowers were snug inside Sleipnir.  Can bring them back out again if we have a stretch of warm weather. 
• Put the rain gauge away.  It has no standing water currently but don't want to forget to put it away.
• Dragged the garden hose into Mjolnir.  It was too tight to unscrew by hand but found some adjustable wrenches in Mjolnir that did the trick.
• Dumped the bucket of water I have for the dog in her run. I'll clean it out and roll the hose up in it for winter.
• Eked out as much water from the rain barrel as I could to water the flowers.  Then dragged the barrel to Sleipnir.  I'll gradually refill it and use that to water the plants during their 'confinement'.

Over breakfast I mulled over my rules for 'First Frost'.  The frost didn't form on the ground or grass because their surfaces were still above freezing.   First Frost, I think, will be defined as the earliest point in the cold season when the grass is frosted.  Under those rules, we haven't yet experienced First Frost.  Looks like there will be more opportunities for it to next week though.