Is there a frost in my future?

Okay, I've got two unpleasant jobs to do today. 

I've already accomplished one.  It went something like this. First I went around the house dusting and sweeping around my standing gas fireplaces, and baseboard heaters.  Next, I went around the house and opened all the windows.  Finally, I turned on the heat in all the rooms.  I hate that icky, dusty, dry, smell that wafts through the house.  You know the one that is sure to set off at least one of my smoke detectors.  This year I decided to get the job done in one fell swoop rather than on a room to room basis when I need heat in that particular room.  To my amazement and delight, not one detectors went off, although now that the heat is off there is still that lingering odor in every room.  Since it is not particularly chilly at the moment I think I will let the house open for a while longer.  It might be the last time I can do that until about...oh, I don't know...maybe March, 2014.

The second job is yet to be done, and that is to bring my house plants back in doors.  Don't like this job much either as it requires inspection of each plant for insects, and those awful, slimy, irritating slugs.  Plus, I have to hose off the pots, and clean the receptacles under them to make sure yucky, wet dirt and debris is not stuck to their under sides.  Somehow I always manage to get myself extremely wet during this process. 

I'm always amazed at how much the plants grow over the summer.  At the moment they are lush, full and sooo healthy looking I kind of hate messing around with them.  I  always manage to break off branches from the jade plants, and I know from past experience the trumpet plants are going to go into shock and lose 90% of their leaves.  However, I also know I HAVE to bring them in, or they will all die with the first frost.  What a bummer.

Finally, some of these plants are big, and heavy.  I'm no spring chicken any more, and I fear one of these years I won't be able to move a plant outside (that already happened this year with the avocado tree I've grown from a seed) or back in after a summer in natural sunlight and good, clean showers.  What if I dropped one?  First there would be a terrible mess to clean up, and second I would lose a wonderful plant that I've grown from tiny little starts. 

Where is my common sense?  Do the plants really care if they are moved outside every year?  See, the thing is I think they do, so how can I deprive them of their summer vacation?  I guess I can't. 

Well, I guess I'd better get a move on.  This is a job that won't do itself.  Wish me luck,  I'm going to need it.  I'm coming plants, I'm coming.