Inside the red coffee can

 The most important part of the winter survival kit is the red coffee can. 

Here is ours refreshed.

The metal can on the left hold the tea lights...you would be surprised how much a tea light heats up a metal can!  (The pretty wrapped tea lights came from my parents 50th Anniversary in 2000) the lighter and matches also go into the metal can.  Then there are hand warmers and snacks. It all fits in the red coffee can nicely. 

Cross that project off my Fall project list!  Note that many people have shovels, bags of sand, jumper cables etc inside their vehicles all Winter. 

Years ago we had a friend who was stranded in a snowstorm...before cell phones were popular.  He burned newspapers and all kind of paper in his car to stay warm.  He was a salesman so he had lots of stuff to burn!

Minnesota weather:  Cooler   High was 44F or 7C   Low was 36F or 2C 

What's cooking?  Spaghetti and GF cheddar biscuits

Far Side

Progress on Projects

 I finished painting the last of the Christmas ornaments and a few more have been delivered.  One of these days I will have a wrapping and packaging party!

I finalized the Christmas card design for this year.   I like it very much...but it will be time consuming.  I have been working on it while watching TV...it is a stamped watercolor card. 

Far Guy is wood carving roses...he may have to move from the garage into the greenhouse/woodshop where it is warmer. 

I updated the Winter Survival Tote in the car and got out the ice scrapers.  I have yet to refresh the snacks in the red coffee can in the tote...that will happen soon.  I need to buy some hand warmers.  We have extra mittens, a hooded sweatshirt and a quilt...and the red coffee can that I am updating.

Sadly I brought in the outdoor dog water dishes...probably no visiting dogs for a bit. 

Minnesota Weather: High 59F  or 15C   Low 31F or -1C  It rained.

Far Side

Mulching is over!

 I am declaring leaf mulching done for the year!  I was really lucky that my baby brother has a huge mulching mower and he came through our yard a couple of times. 

The mower was washed off and is drying overnight before Far Guy puts it away for the Winter.  My red boots were washed and my lawn mowing clothing is in the washer...so I am done. 

The weather was great yesterday as I made the rounds for the last time. 

Not sure when this Popple will lose its leaves but they can blow away!

My other baby brother has some trees that are still losing leaves...but I got what I could. 

Sounds like snow is in the forecast for next week.  Far Guy moved my regular snow shovel and my electric snow shovel to the front door. 

I mowed off the wild gardens West of the house, the ones East of the house are mowed in the Spring.

We still have a few things to do outside yet....but we are hopeful and will leave the patio table and chairs out for a few more days!

Minnesota Weather:  High 71F  or  22C  Low 55F or 13C  

What's Cooking: Eggs, sausages and potatoes:)

Far Side

Large Cross Stitch

 Jen used yarn and a peg board to make a giant cross stitch piece of art!

 I helped with a few stitches... not many. 

Yesterday we crossed a bunch of Fall "stuff" off our list.  Leaf mulching is still happening...my baby brother came by with his huge mower/mulcher and that really helped out.  We blew the leaves out of the rocks on both sides of the house.  Of course more will collect there!  Hoses were disconnected and brought into the garage, the tomato plant was history so we clipped it down stem by stem and then pulled it out of the soil.  The deer will finish it off back in the woods. 

What's Cooking?  Walleye, baked potato and corn. 

Minnesota Weather:  Really nice for October!  High was 67F or 19C    Low was 43F or 6C 

Far Side

Fall Projects and thoughts

 Yesterday we had a project day...well project morning anyway.  Recycles went to recycle and garbage went to the landfill.  Patio chairs, table, various lawn ornaments and a bird feeder went into winter storage.  I vacuumed up the counters in the garage and threw a bunch of stuff away....some old gloves, yucky rags and empty containers.  I brought the snow shovel to the front door in anticipation of snow. 

Two things on my mind/in my craw this week.

Thursday the grocery store not Wally World had two checkouts open...they have at least eight lanes and four self checkouts.  I stood in one line for a bit...the cashier was coughing so much she was doubling over and then lifted off her mask to talk to people...can you imagine the hasty u turn I made to the self checkouts?  If a manager had been around I would have complained...that gal should not have been allowed to come to work...what is wrong with people? 

Dancing with the half naked Stars... men could you keep your shirts on?  I don't mind watching you dance UNTIL your shirt is ripped open then I just want to fast forward or turn the channel.  There isn't one among them that has bald chest that is worth looking at. 

Far Side

 

Progress is slow

 I washed a window today and Far Guy did one more...maybe tomorrow we can get another one done.  We are slow but steady.  

This afghan is still in my work basket...I have been working on it off and on...mostly off... for a year.  The Fall like colors should inspire me!

The deer hunters around here were quiet...I didn't hear any shots.  It spit rain here when I was washing that window on the outside. It was not cold enough to snow. 

Far Side

Fall work

 I think I am done with leaves for the year.  The ones in the woods will stay put especially if we get snow. 

My mower had a problem but Far Guy fixed it ...mostly and put new blades on it and washed all the dust off of it and put it away in the garage. 

It is good to have the leaves done. I celebrated by vacuuming out the car.  

The mowing was hard on my left hip and leg...I am having an MRI next week.  I am still going to PT once a week and doing exercises daily. 

Far Side

Fall Stuff

 Our Fall work list is getting shorter.  The leaves are out of the trees, well all the leaves that will fall right now.

If there are still leaves in the tree then that is most likely a Pin Oak and the leaves will fall off in the winter winds and the leaves will skate across the snowbanks or the new leaves will force them off in the Spring. ..it is called marcescence.

Those pesky leaves that catch amongst the solar lights are now history.  Raking is no fun for an old gal, it tuckered me out.   

I put a few pieces of furniture for sale on Facebook marketplace...sold one so far.  Yeah me!  

We have three medical appointments so far this week.   It is what we do for entertainment. 

Far Side

Progress

 I mulched the leaves in our yard on Monday and got some mulching done at my baby brothers shop.  I still have more areas to do but it rained a bit on Tuesday.  Our weather went from nice and warm to chilly.

I probably still have time before it snows.  Most of the leaves are on the ground and not in the trees.  One big wind would help me out! 

 

I refreshed all the solar lights in the yard and took care of some odds and ends. 

 

I finished all the Christmas ornaments and they are wrapped up and ready for tins/mailers and bags for deliveries.  I will reveal the design after they have been mailed out sometime in November. 

No progress on the Christmas card yet...the paper, cards and envelopes are ready...I just need to watercolor the design and sign them. 

 

The swelling in my face has gone down, I still have one problem area where a stitch might be surfacing.

Uffda. 

Far Guy had quite a time over the weekend with all the fragrances of flowers, perfumes and aftershaves.  He struggled on Sunday and Monday...but seems better now.  Fingers crossed that we averted a hospital stay. 

Far Side 

Trees

 Some of the trees are getting a bit of color...most are just blah...

These Maples were showing off quite nicely against the blue sky! 

So far we have just two medical appointments this week...I get to go back to Physical Therapy on Thursday...yeah me I will be able to walk without pain again for a few days!   I am consistently doing my PT exercises...but I need that extra deep massage and am looking forward to it. 

We had terrible winds late Saturday night early Sunday morning...lots of twigs are in the yard.   Our lights flickered several times but we didn't lose power...the winds were 62 mph. 

A few more days and I will be done painting the Christmas ornaments...some have even been delivered instead of mailed!

Far Side

List

 I had quite a time with the Baptismal gown.  It had some difficult stains.  Finally worked some magic with some bleach  and gave it a good wash and rinse.  I bought a steamer because my iron is so old it would have made yucky spots on it. ( I hardly ever use my iron...I think it is about 40 years old)

The gown is pressed good enough for now...I have had it hanging upstairs and will wrap it in white tissue paper and put it away in the box.  Who knows when it will be used again. 

Cross something off my list! 

I mailed the Christmas Ornaments yesterday so I can cross that off my list too.  The fellow in the Post Office was not real happy when I showed up with 20 packages to mail....he said "How many"  "Today?" and looked at the clock.  It took him about 25 minutes....I showed up well before it was time to close.

Had my last eye exam for awhile...I hope.  Saw a specialist...yes I have secondary cataracts but she doesn't think they are bad enough to laser yet.  My being suspect for glaucoma remains the same.  Right now I am stable. Cross that off my list too. 

A few Christmas ornaments were hand delivered.   Yeah us! 

Far Guy is working diligently on the Christmas card address list updating it and alphabetizing it!  What a trooper...he spent so much time learning a new program on his computer.  He cusses occasionally...

Far Side

Fall reflections

 I enjoy the warm days of Fall.  We used to call it Indian Summer...but I heard that is frowned upon now...maybe it should be called a second summer...dry warm days to be enjoyed before Winter is upon us. The only thing bad about those days are the Asian Beetles...you know the little orange and black bugs that bite and stink when crushed.

Yesterday I went over to my baby brothers with Ranger Blue and he power washed it for me.  When I got back home I dried it all down and cleaned up the inside.  Far Guy and I went out and counted how many No Hunting signs we need to replace.

What do you call the dry warm days in the Fall? 

Far Side

Fall stuff

 We raked a bit and blew all the leaves from the rocks on the East and West sides of the house and from under the back deck.   Far Guy vacuumed out Ranger Blue.

I mulched the leaves that found their way into our yard ...again.  Then I went next door and finished that property for the season.   Far Guy hosed down my lawnmower,  put "stuff" in the gas and put it away for next year. Yeah me...I made it through the year.

Toward evening we went for a Ranger Blue ride into the Smoky Hills.  We saw no one...we saw the beaver swimming in his pond.

The road to the old fire tower. 

The view from the road up there. 

It was a nice day 60 F or 16 C eh! 

Baxter and his folks visited toward evening.  They had a bear at their house that took down bird feeders.

Far Side

More leaves

 Yesterday afternoon I mulched leaves at my other baby brothers home.   It is most likely my last time there this Fall.  Our weather is supposed to change in a few days.  The S word has been mentioned a few times...and Red says that he is sending snow from Canada...neighborly of him! 

You can see where I have mulched and the area I was working on. 

A bit later my other baby brother brought me a bottle of water and she who sees robins first came out to visit a bit.   It was warmer than yesterday. 

They have a couple of golden colored trees in their upper yard.  I mow and take care of my other baby brothers leaves at his home, his shop and another property.  He in turn keeps our snow plowed in the driveway and our yard!

Far Guy put away half of our chairs and rolled the patio table away into the garage.   We brought in things from the garage that would freeze the other day...car detailing stuff, Round Up, Poison Ivy Killer and Ant stuff.

I should bring a S shovel up to the front door...

Far Side

Another Fall day

 Yesterday I mulched leaves in the neighborhood.  It is getting a tad cool to be out and about on the mower in my Summer mowing clothing.  My other baby brother has more leaves left on his trees than we do.   He has more of a variety of trees than we do....Birch, Popple and Red Oak.

I worked on Christmas Cards in the morning and did some household "stuff."

Flowers in town last Summer. 

We had frost...it was 25 F and the ground was white with frost.

Far Side

Fall Stuff

 Far Guy got the sheep water tank on top of some cement blocks ...all ready for next years tomato growing season. 

I messed with the solar lights and got some new ones put out.   We recycled and I put "some" of the yard decorations away...not all! 

I spent most of the afternoon mulching leaves in our yard and over at another property we call Kates. 

The leaves are almost completely out of the trees.  In my estimation 80% of the leaves have fallen.

The Juncos are here I call them Snowbirds.  We are headed for very cool weather especially at night with Freeze warnings.  I brought in the rain gauges so they will not break when it freezes.  Far Guy took care of all the water hoses....one project at a time to get ready for Winter. 

I must get out my warm Winter boots.  

Far Side

Leaf me alone

 I am so done with leaves.  The last of nine mulchings was completed on Friday...it was dirty work as it is real dry here.  Yesterday Far Guy washed up the mower and got it ready for winter. 

We washed the windows again...this time using glass wax.  Earlier we used something else and it just wasn't working either that or when it sprinkled a tad bit of rain it had mud in it.  :(

Yesterday we had 63 F or 18 C for a high...although Far Guy reports that out thermometer was showing 70 F for a while in the sunshine. 

I collected all the yard art that I wanted to save from winters wrath.   We still have a few things to do on our list but we are basically ready for winter. 

I sprayed one last time for ants on the outside perimeter of the house.  

Yesterday we got a heap of mail...mostly Medicare stuff...switch here...try this...they are pretty stupid as they included return postage paid envelopes.  So I returned them...empty. 

Lately my email has been getting some scam stuff...can you believe I won an I Phone, a set of Nordic Cookware, a Generator and a Vacuum cleaner and if that don't beat all a Lawn Mower...I just had to give them a credit card to pay for the shipping.   It all sounds so good...I can see why some people are sucked in. 

Photo taken before I got the blower out and blew most of these leaves into the woods...it looks better now. 

Far Side

Second Snow

 At this rate Winter will be here early.  The third snow usually stays:(  

We woke up to the second snow. 

By afternoon it had melted.  

We had a fairly productive week.  Only two more windows to wash and the screen door.  It may or may not happen.  Ranger Blue was cleaned out before the cold weather and windows were washed.  We brought in "stuff" from the garages that would freeze.  Far Guy cleaned up Tilly's garage and did some work in the greenhouse/woodshop.

 Leaves were blown around and mulched.  One more time around the yard might happen.  So far I have mulched our yard seven times this Fall.  I mulched at my other baby brothers...he has lots of leaves yet to fall.   The leaves in our yard are 90% down.  

The last of the ant hills were doused with borax/powdered sugar.  The no trespass signs were put up.  

Are we ready for Winter...not completely but in the next two weeks we should be. 

Our quiet snowy day yesterday was spent mostly inside...Far Guy began painting the Christmas Ornaments. We watched Blue Jays and Juncos out the windows.   I cleaned the bathroom and did some laundry and organized some craft stuff. 

We both are a bit headachy and tired from the high dose flu shot.  Naps were high on our priority list in the afternoon.  Far Guy cooked supper...hamburgers without a bun but with some bacon, waffle fries in the air fryer and peaches.

Far Side

Progress

 We are making progress on the Fall work list.  I try to tackle something extra every day. 

Yesterday I took care of spraying some weeds in the sauna path, after I located my leaf blower.   It would have been faster just to sweep the walkway before spraying.  I mixed up powdered sugar and borax in a big pail to take to some large ant hills.  The powdered sugar attracts them and the borax kills them.  That project is just half done and I will finish covering the rest of the ant hills soon.  I prepared some of the no trespassing signs so I can rubber cement them onto boards and get them hung back up.  About half our leaves are down and I have mulched the leaves in our yard five times...it was a very dusty job yesterday. 

Far Guy has finished woodcarving the Christmas ornaments...I have a bunch to fine sand outside and then they become an inside project. 

Our high temperature yesterday was 60 F or 16 C eh! 

Far Side

Nice Days

 We are enjoying the nice days.  Spending time outside and coming in at night dog tired.   Thank goodness supper was easy...salad and Jambalya.   It was 72 F or 22 C yesterday...perfect Fall weather.

We took down the screened  tent and put it in the garage to dry out.  Far Guy pulled out the tomato plants and  put them in the woods where wildlife will eat them.    I ran several errands in town.   I started painting the sauna and it is going well and looks so much better.    It was a nice day to sit on the ground and paint the bottom of the boards on two sides!   Very quiet outside, I could hear the machinery that was harvesting beans in a field a mile away and the trucks going up and down the highway. 

We are getting some things crossed off our Fall work list. 

Far Side