Yesterday my brother's father-in-law woke to a solid layer of snow. Somehow that snow missed us here in Northern Iowa, but made it to Southern Iowa and created a perfect blanket. Weather patterns are odd things. Not to be outdone, today I awoke to a perfect layer of leaves in our front yard area. It seems overnight the main tree that borders our driveway decided to drop well over half of its leaves. The front yard, half of the driveway, and half of the street were coated. It was actually rather impressive... see:
That's a lot of foliage. I mean, a lot. Notice how all of the yards around us are devoid of leaves. That is not because those homeowners are all on the ball, it's just that we happen to have a tree with tons of foliage that decided to strip overnight.
I have never been a fan of yard work. I don't really care for gardening (although getting vegetables out of my own garden this year was a lot of fun), I can't stand weeding, and I'm more than happy to let the grass grow tall and pretend I live on the prairie just like Laura Ingalls. I do, however, thoroughly enjoy raking up leaves and cleaning up the yard for winter. I also enjoy shoveling snow. I'm a strange one.
My life of late has been fairly inactive and sedentary, so when I saw all the leaves this morning I was rather excited to get out and take care of them. I waited until about 1 p.m. so it would be a tad warmer, then dressed myself in layers and went out to get my rake on. It took me about 45 minutes to make several giant piles out of everything. When no more piles could be created I headed into the house to break open a can of tuna for a stray kitten that I had scared away from its hiding place in our front yard and to yell for mom to come out and help me take care of the leaves. I figured we would be putting the leaves in bags or into our small trailer to take to the landfill. Either way, the job would be easier with two people.
When Mom came out she informed me that the leaves are her winter mulch for all of the flower beds that line the house and the garage. While I went about the task of scattering the piles of leaves six inches thick over the beds, Mom cut back and generally cleaned up everything and then began mowing, with the grass clippings going down on top of the leaves in the beds. That is some well-mulched dirt!
About the time I finished getting the leaf piles taken care of (I even got the stuff off the street since it would blow back at our house and yard anyway) Justin came out to help. He and I worked together to clean out the gutters, check the heat tape on the roof (some is still working great, some it not working...boo!), and cut back the honeysuckle and other trees and vine plants around the perimeters of our yard. We filled our trailer to brimming three separate times. Grandpa Mabon was kind enough to come up with his truck and be our runner with the trailer. He took everything to the local landfill and disposed of it for us, then came back for more. When he dropped the trailer off for the last time we were able to fit all remaining branches in the bed of his truck, which he dropped off at the landfill on his way home. He was a great help in making sure everything got taken care of today!
The last step was to cover the air conditioner for the winter and move the snow shovels to the front of the garage. The weather is calling for snow showers tonight and tomorrow, but we'll see how much of that actually happens. We'll probably have to clean out the gutters one more time and we may replace the heat tape that is not working, but that's for the next clear, somewhat decent day!
When everything was finished it amounted to exactly 5 hours of work for me. It was really nice to be outside and active and productive and I am the happy type of tired tonight. I feel good that something that needed to get done did get done and that we were able to take care of so much. And I am also incredibly happy we were on the ball this year with outdoor winterizing! A lot of times it's early November before we take care of the gutters and leaves and then it's a miserably cold job. Today was not the warmest day (we worked in high 30s) but while we were out the weather didn't seem too bad. I only started to feel cold after we came in and I realized how red my legs and arms and hands were, despite having had everything covered properly. A warm shower, hot supper, and several blankets have taken away the chill. I would cite a snugly cat as well, but he's been banned from my room for having the audacity to throw up on my ivory carpet only 6 inches from the open door and easy-to-clean hardwood floor.
This coming week I will, as always, be looking for and applying for jobs, but I am also going to learn about my car and proper fluid maintenance. I have popped the hood and taken a look at everything. I have referred to my owner's manual. I have asked Mom and Justin questions. And I still have a few things I don't know. I have been planning on taking the car into the shop soon since there is a chip in the windshield that I want to make sure is sealed before the frigid temperatures cause it spread, and while it is there I will be asking the mechanics some questions. I think, per Mom's suggestion, I'll also have the antifreeze flushed and refilled since it is on minimum now and I have no clue what kind of antifreeze is currently being used or how long ago it was added. I'm not due for an oil change for another 600 miles or so, but I do not want to wait on that chip in the windshield. Look at me be a responsible automobile owner. :)
As it has gotten colder (especially considering how early it is for cold weather) I have been reminded of how grateful I am for a warm home, plenty of weather-appropriate clothing, and good food. I may not have all that I want right now, but I have more than enough to make me happy.
Tucker's really happy the heat is back on as well. He loves to lay along the register in my room when the heat is running. I am always a bit concerned since I know how hot the register metal gets, but he doesn't seem to mind. I guess all of that fur is good for something. The below was taken before I banned him from my room.
Love!
~g
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