Easing into Winter

 

Some years we quickly slide into Winter with snow, ice and sharp winds.  Other years it is an easier process, more of a gentle teasing of the cold weather to come.  We are fortunate to have the gradual arrival of Winter this year only making itself known more clearly after the change of time that brings the dreaded short, dark days. 

Neighborhood Trees

We had our first snow this year almost a week before the end of October.  Luckily when we get an early snow, we usually have more warm days to come and we did.  Those warm days continued through yesterday when it was sunny and beautiful with a temperature of 74 F (23 C).  I finally decided to tackle the many leaves in our back yard and spent four hours raking and bagging.  I ended up with eight bags of leaves and some pretty good back and knee pains!  Believe it or not, that was from only half of the back yard.  Our yard is not that big but we do have a lot of trees and that means more yard work in both Spring and Fall.  That is fine with me though because I love trees!  By the time I stopped working the sun had disappeared and the sky had that dark, foreboding look.  This morning I stepped out onto our deck and was hit with that sharp cold that is unmistakably the beginning of winter.  We went from temps in the 70’s to the low 40’s (4 C).  Then the heavy, cold rain started.  Oh well, I didn’t feel like finishing the raking today anyway. 

 

Sophie sleeping with her friends

Time does move fast and before we know it the holidays will be here.  For those of us in the U.S. Thanksgiving is just a little over two weeks away and as soon as that is over, we are into the Christmas season.  There is no telling what the holidays will be like this year with the pandemic still here.  We don’t travel over the holidays so the main thing that will change for us will be the lack of local Christmas activities.  I am hopeful that we will still see our kids and grandkids Christmas but these days I know there are no guarantees.  Are you making different plans this year for the holidays?  Maybe someone will come up with some new ways for those of us staying home to celebrate this year?

 

Passing Thoughts

 

It’s been a quiet weekend but that can be good at times.  I’ve stayed busy with odds and ends of jobs around the house.  Yesterday I did some much-needed cleaning in our basement.  We need to get someone out to do a winter check on our furnace this week.  I am also planning on clearing some shelves in the basement for food storage of canned goods.  We have very little storage space in our kitchen so I’m using a couple of shelves in the basement.  I have been slowly adding to our back up stock of canned goods and non-perishables.  This winter has the potential of not being the best and I do want to be prepared.  There have been some predictions of much more snow and cold weather than usual for us on top of the increasing number of covid cases in the area.  It’s funny, in some ways we were much more cautious back in March when the pandemic first started than we are now.  I guess because it was new.  But actually, now it is much worse where we live than it has been at any time before.  We go out for groceries and medical appointments and that’s about it.  Due to our age and Tom’s health we can not afford to take chances but it sure does get old fast. 

I have also been trying to help Tom with a few changes in his life.  Because of his balance problems it was suggested that he start using a walking cane.  When you think about it that can be a big step for some people and not an easy one.  On top of that, he has failed to have much improvement in his hearing and has an appointment this week to talk to someone about getting a hearing aid.  He is not over-joyed with either of these developments and I do understand.  I’m trying to help him see the positive side of both and hopefully he soon will realize the benefits of them.

Trees on our street are just starting to change colors

Our Fall colors are just now getting started and no where near peak color yet.  There are a few trees on our street beginning to change.  In our back yard we have a row of Osage Orange trees and they are dropping their hedge apples or Osage Oranges like crazy all over our yard.  These are a strange fruit that is not edible for humans although the squirrels here love them.  The Osage Orange tree got its name from the Osage Indian tribe which once lived in this area.  They used the wood of the tree for making bows and it is still considered very good for that purpose.  

 

Osage Orange or Hedge Apple Trees

Osage Oranges or Hedge Apples

As you can tell, there is not much excitement here.  I hope everyone is well and enjoying a beautiful Autumn!

Across the street from us

A Pleasant Walk

Three days a week I take Tom to his cardiac rehab appointments at a small hospital not too far from our home.  The hospital has a very nice walking trail on the grounds for use by both the patients and anyone else interested in a short or long walk.  I've been enjoying walking on this trail to pass the time while he is busy with his appointment.

We are just beginning to see a bit of Fall here and the weather is perfect for walking outdoors.  The trees have not quite started turning yet but I hope to catch them changing soon.  The world has become so crazy this year that I often feel the best when I can be alone with nature, even if it is in the middle of a busy city.  It can be good to turn off the rest of the world even for a short time.

We did have a nice opportunity to visit with Chris and Kristi (my son and daughter-in-law) yesterday.  We usually see them once a month or so as they live in a nearby town and stay busy with their jobs and other activities.  They had us over for dinner and a chance to have some relaxing time together.  Kristi served dinner on their screened in back porch as the weather was so nice.  It was so good to catch up with them, especially since these days it is rare for us to see anyone other than people at medical appointments or the grocery store.

I hope everyone in blog land is doing well.  I enjoy seeing the season change from all the different blogs I follow.  So many of us are in different stages of the changes leading into winter.  Before we know it the holiday season will be here and although it likely won't be quite the same as previous years, I expect to stay busy with the simple preparations I do for my family.  I send my best to everyone here!