We got ourselves an invitation to dinner for tonight (Friday), courtesy of our neighbors Laura and Wendy.

You may already know them .. Laura and Wendy used to own the Mission Inn here in Cape May, and after selling post-Covid, Laura stepped in as president of the Community Food Closet, while Wendy is now COO at Cape May Stage.

Basically, they’re impressive.

And also just great neighbors who share our love of planting and flowers.

The dinner is at the Yacht Club. Which sounds fancy, right?

Let me be honest: Steve and I hardly go out.

Truly.

We are the definition of homebodies; if you looked up the word in the dictionary, you’d see our faces.

The only time we ever leave the house for dinner is when Laura and Wendy send an invite.

But here’s my dilemma: the invite says cocktail attire.

What does that even mean?

My closet is split into two categories: farm clothes and wedding-day dresses.

Shoes? Forget it.

I haven’t bought a proper pair of heels in years.

Meanwhile, men have it so easy.

Steve has one suit from the Clinton administration, and somehow it’s still stylish.

Same with his shoes.

I’ll keep you posted on how this goes.

Farm Happenings

We finished transplanting the peonies, big check mark on that task!, and we’re halfway through prepping the tulip bed.

Our cold-hardy annuals are tucked in and I’ve been bracing myself for the winter winds.

In years past, we cobbled together EMT tubes and DIY rigs to hold frost cloth over the beds.

Tedious, messy, and a little bit like wrestling an octopus.

This year, though, I ordered a new system from Neversink Tools, hardware specifically made for this job.

If it works like they say, it’s going to be a game changer.

The weather’s still mild, so the dahlias and all those late-season bloomers keep right on producing.

I’ll have fresh flowers at the stand, and when I can sneak in the time, I’ll decorate pumpkins with pressed flowers too. Those will be out soon.

And speaking of decorating, our Winter Wreath Workshops kick off in November and run through mid-December.

They’re festive, hands-on, and a whole lot of fun.

If you can’t make it in person, don’t worry, you’ll also be able to preorder custom wreaths (and door swags!) for pickup or shipping.

I’ll share more details soon, but if this is on your holiday wish list, keep an eye out (and, they make great holiday gifts, too).

P.S. If you’ve cracked the code on “cocktail attire” without spending a fortune, please share your secrets. My closet thanks you.
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​P.P.S. Steve swears his old suit is timeless. Should I believe him?