Getting prepared for winter

For a month and a half, I have been negligent in attending to my yard. I have used the excuses that Marnie and I were travelling, the great weekends should be spent at the cabin and the best of all, it is getting dark too early.
I suspect that my neighbors have been wondering when I was going to rake the leaves, because they were growing tired of continually raking their lawns as the leaves from my lawn blew east across Victoria Avenue. I even felt a little guilt of watching them rake, as I walked off to work in the afternoon.
Sunday afternoon, I finally got around to yard attention. I raked a small portion that my wife had previously raked. I filled 4 large industrial garbage bags with leaves. Earlier in the week, a friend of my mother, had told her he never ever raked leaves. Instead he mulched the leaves into the lawn with his mower.
I really couldn’t figure out how that would work, but I knew that once the raking was completed, that I would be cutting grass. With that in mind, and my back already a little sore, I installed for the first time the mulching attachment to my mower. I was ready to give my mother’s friend’s knowledge a try.
I began with a quick run over a lightly leaved portion of the lawn. The leaves seemed to disappear, and the cut grass was presentable. I got a little braver and found a more leafed area on the side yard. It too looked great after passing the mower over it. Finally the mower was ready for the big test and I pushed it around the outside of the lawn.
The motor struggled. The muffler seemed to balk at the work and it was loud. As I pushed into deeper leaves, the mower stopped as if hitting a big rock. I tilted it back and pulled it away revealing a huge pile of chopped leaves.
Bells went off in my mind that I had busted the mower. I pulled the cord and the mower spun back into cutting mode. I gently pushed it into the pile. It didn’t appear to hesitate.
As I moved into heavier layers of leaves on the lawn, my pace slowed. The mulching was working.
I was able to finish the lawn and instead of raking for several more hours and then cutting. The lawn was mowed in less than two hours. I had created time for other jobs.
My biggest tree, a maple is just starting to turn colours. The leaves will fall some time after the first weekend of Novembers. If the snow holds off they will be cleaned up this year. Failing that, I will attend to them next spring.
My day lilies and tiger lilies still remain to have attention focused on them. The flower beds have to be turned over. I have tulips and daffodils to plant. My apple tree needs trimming, but will wait until after it is frozen.
I still haven’t stored my rods and tackle and they are in the wood shop. That is the first job this week to get the shop cleaned, and ready for work. I have several projects to complete prior to Christmas so the lights will be on nightly as the projects start coming together.
And I already am thinking about outdoor Christmas lights. The time between warm days of fall and snow always seems short. Last year I was caught and ended up working in the snow to get the outdoor lights up and operating.
I try to beat the snow, since the strings of lights are so much easier to put up in the trees on a warm sunny day. These shortened daylight days leave so little time for outdoor work.
And sending Christmas gifts to my son in Korea will have to happen by mid November. The pace of life seems to be getting faster.

Jim Cumming, Publisher