Temperatures are dropping along with the leaves. Last week we had fog, this week we have rain turning to snow this weekend. I am hoping it stays in the higher elevations at least for a while longer. We have been working hard at getting ready for winter but we aren’t quite there yet. Our over abundance of leaves makes the perfect mulch for covering our rose bushes, shrubs and perennials. I still have two rose bushes to cut back and I need to finish cutting the irises back and cover the strawberries. It’s funny, in the spring I want to plant, plant and plant some more but as winter approaches I keep asking myself why did I plant so much!
If you still have fall chores to finish maybe these few tips will help. Move large pots into your garage, shed or barn. We store ours under our deck on the north side of the house along with most of our yard decor. If you don’t have a lot of leaves or are short of mulch, some newspaper will work too. If you do use leaves, run over them with the lawn mower first, it will make spring clean up much easier. Make sure all of your hoses are drained or they will leak the next time you need one. Clean your gardening tools then a quick spray with WD-40 before putting them away or pour some sand in a bucket and some old motor oil and stick them down in the sand. This keeps them clean and rust free. Of course, this was much easier to do when we still lived on the ranch, so now we just go the WD-40 route. Stash a snow shovel and ice scraper near your exterior doors, a basket with gloves, mittens and stocking caps nearby is important too. If you use ice melt, be sure to read the labels carefully. Some are known to ruin concrete and can kill your grass and not all of them are pet safe. Rock salt will also pit concrete and kill the lawn too. I hope these few quick tips are helpful!
Someone is not happy about his trip to the groomer!
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.~Psalm 145:13-14 (ESV)
I’m not ready for snow either. We can see it snowing up the north fork and the wind is awful