It’s Autumn, the leaves are turning yellow and falling onto the ground.
Mice and spiders alike are trying their best to get into a warm place like your home and your garage and the cold days are coming – blah blah blah, home maintenance etc.
We spent a few hours yesterday and cleaned outside windows and shakes in one last heroic use of a beautifully warm day but it still felt sad and kind of like the final nail in the coffin of a gorgeous summer.
Putting away gardening gear and packing the droopy flowers off to their final resting place has a melancholy with it even for those who enjoy fall and all its festivities and fragrances.
You can look out on a beautiful stretch of trees and marvel at the colour show that Mother Nature is handing us and push the thought out of your mind that what you are actually looking at is the end of a life cycle, beautiful decay if you will. Doesn’t that sound morbid?
The beauty behind it is that it is necessary for the life of the tree and that nature in absolute synchronization knows when to bloom and when to close itself off for colder months.
It is something that we can see every day and miss the fascinating and perfect cycle that nature participates in without missing a single season.
Can a pumpkin spice flavored beverage make us feel better about the changing season?
Probably; I’m always in for a warm and sweet beverage when the weather gets cold and I don’t mind the changing seasons even if it means more work around the house!
I get in the mindset of finishing things up outside so I can sit and be snug and smug in my home while the frost creeps knowing that I have done the work to put away the summer things and have done the work to ensure that I stay warm and dry with my steaming mug in hand!
Fall maintenance doesn’t have to be all hard work!
Some folks’ idea of fall preparedness includes having enough mini marshmallows in the cupboard for hot chocolate and putting out your festive decorations and cozy blankets.
Put some pairs of fuzzy slippers by the door for guests and voila, you have maintained for fall! That sounds like my kind of home maintenance, I will stay warm under my autumnal inspired throw while I call a reliable local contractor to clean out my eaves. I will of course offer the faithful soul a warm cup of something but I will also be very happy that it isn’t me on a cold ladder scraping guck out of my gutters.
However you may approach the frigid days to come, I encourage you to take good care of you.
Fill your days with productive thoughts and activities and don’t forget to look at the alluring sunsets and notice the change in landscape as the next few weeks roll past.
We are taking the afternoon to drive out west before the leaves have all been taken from the trees and the bare boughs must face winter’s wrath in their endless and foreseeable cycle of life. Carry forward, keep warm and happy everyone!
Kim Wyse is a local freelance designer. Find her on facebook at ‘Ask a Realtor/Ask a Designer’.
