As Autumn begins to tip-toe into our lives with cooler temperatures, color, and the abundance of food, it’s also time to turn to thoughts of getting ready for winter. Welcoming a new season, at least this year, can be a welcome diversion from the world at large right now.
What Can We Do?
Maybe consider canning and preserving the harvest from your garden (zucchini everything…anyone?) or the fabulous farmers market bargains you found. This is the cheapest food available and it supports local small farms! How about planning the last few outdoor activities for your family with hikes to see the fall foliage? Check out the local calendar and try something new!
Back at the House
If you have been stuck IN the house all summer, there’s not much time to get things done before doors must be closed and windows sealed shut before the winter winds blow. Did you get everyone’s clothes sorted for charity? Did the garage get reorganized? When we welcome a cooler season, these types of projects feel a bit more doable.
Like in spring when we open up and clear out stale air and belongings, it’s time now to get ready to shut ‘er down. If you had planned to paint a room or reseal the windows, it’s time. It’s also a great idea to have a thorough “End of Season” cleaning too. At least twice a year, get busy cleaning out nooks and crannies.
- Clear out the open and stale pantry items. Date new dry goods so you know when you bought them!
- Empty out the kitchen drawers, vacuum and wipe them out, and reorganize.
- Change out the grease trap screens in your kitchen vent hood.
- Close all the windows on a breezy day, then go around with a lit candle to see which ones are drafty and mark them for a fresh coat of caulking.
- Take down removable light fixture covers**, dump the bugs, and wash them in hot soapy water and replace.
** If your covers are “frosty”, then the dishwasher will ruin them…hand wash.
- Pull everything out of the hall closet(s), refold (rewash if necessary), vacuum and/or wipe out the closet, and reorganize. Or…you can donate some long unused items to make some space!
- Call for some back up…call to get a quote today!
These ideas can be applied to all the areas not normally “cleaned” throughout the year. Making “space” in our physical environments can also help with our mental clarity. And that’s part of what welcoming a new season should be about…fresh starts. There’s a lot coming up; elections, Halloween and the Holidays. Preparation is never a waste of time!
