Bundle up!

The weather forecast is calling for snow by the end of the week. We have had some wet and cold days as well as some moderately warm days in the past few weeks. I am not one for the cold but I do enjoy the snow. Funny how that can be! What I love is the way that snow absorbs sound and as it softly settles over a landscape it seems all time slows down with it.
I am not for the cold typically because I just find it takes so much more energy to perform typical tasks and for the many memories of being unprepared and freezing in the past. My first winter camp-out was a disaster and even though I can say I ended up having a great time it proved to be very uncomfortable! I feel with years between me and my first snow-filled winter camp-out I can somewhat unabashedly tell you I forgot gloves and ended up wetting the bed (Sleeping bag)!
Not a very comfortable or safe scenario to find yourself in! I have to laugh now at the pitiful situation as I remember how severely cold I got and how my clothes were frozen stiff! I was too embarrassed to ask for help and ended up shivering and shaking through the night and luckily found socks on my hands to be a somewhat viable replacement for gloves! I am amazed I ever went back to winter camping but can usually attribute a difficult or uncomfortable situation with teaching me the most about preparedness and the art of improvisation! I am much better prepared now (Fur suit and all) and have come to look forward to the snow even if that means it has to be cold.

The Important Things. (My yard care thoughts)

I love seeing all the colors and sights of fall! I have to stop and wonder what some of the smells of fall are associated with. Yesterday I smelled a sour smell from a sugar maple's leaves decomposing. Where only a week ago you could only smell the crushed acorns on the road, now the world has changed and the senses tell me a different story. I have been pondering a lot of things and I am not sure if that is because of some of the recent events in my life or merely the change that autumn brings and the innate desire to prepare for the upcoming winter.

I am very inspired by the leaves and the changes in scenery. I guess the whole circle of life is simply manifest more fully right now. I have been busy with some important things and as my poor neighbors can attest I have neglected to keep up on the leaves and winterize my yard and do other (in my opinion) less important things. After all, the leaves keep falling and if I don't fertilize my yard it will still come up green in the spring. (albeit because of dandelions where others insist there should be grass!)

I am starting to learn the value of certain things we do and the priorities we place on things, actions, or habits. I am finding that not keeping up on the yard for example will not be something I regret at the end of my life whereas missing my children's growth or remembering great times are the things that will mean the most. Yes I do feel we should have a house of order and I am not advocating a sloppy or rundown property but I am not convinced I need to spend much time on areas where the fruit does not merit the cost and energy put into it's growing. Basically I am just commenting on the purpose of life and what kind of fruit we will have to show for it and what will be of value and what will have proved to be pointless. As for my yard... it'll be here long after I am gone whether I rake today or not for another week!