The last blooms of 2014 ....

are gone today!  My friend, Purple Dome Aster, finally bit the dust...or rather  the frost bit it hard?    I got a chance to try out my new toy, a battery powered, rechargeable small hedge trimmer that I can easily handle.  A friend purchased one this fall and said he liked it.  Like me, he is looking for easy to use tools that he can handle at the stage of his life.   So, Denny picked it up on sale $20.  It is a trimmer, pruner, cutter.   So, I decided to try it out with my woody stems on  the aster.  It worked fairly well and am looking forward to it helping me next fall!   When Denny helps me he digs out his big hedge trimmer, which he likes but I usually lose a few of my good plant markers when he is powered up!