winter prep

Last week I turned into a little squirrel, getting everything all set for the first snow. Instead of gathering nuts and hiding them, I cleaned storage areas and organized them which is one of my very favorite things to do. I love organizing and sorting and giving things away and finding a system to keep items organized so that everything has a home. I hung a lot on the walls in the shed, sorted things by type and then made a few trips to good will.

And then I raked the lawn. I asked Rory if he would help and he said, "I won't, as a matter of principle. I don't agree with raking a yard this big. Becca, do you know what compost is? It is leaves and cut grass. People pay big money for it. I'll mow all of this in the spring, and call it compost."

Well. Apparently I still have a bit of "small yard" in my blood, because I could not let it go. The leaves were inches deep, and knowing the snow was coming the next day, I got to work. It's great cardio. I raked twice as many piles as pictured below, and then went around with a huge tarp, raked a few piles on the tarp at a time and dumped each tarp-load in the grove. I broke a sweat and felt quite accomplished when it was done.

And I did have some help. The cats liked to jump in the piles and tried many times to attack the rake. And the kids jumped from pile to pile, making them much less pile-like. I was relieved when they lost interest and went inside.

It feels so good to get everything tucked in and ready for winter. There was something that happens in my soul when I know all of the toys are out of the rock box, the strollers are in the pole barn for the season, the mower is safe in the shed, and the truck is pulled into the second stall. It's like pregnancy nesting, except instead of a baby this nesting leads to a really long winter.