Chilly mornings are upon us here in the high desert of Northwestern Nevada. The leaves continue to float by Winterpast. The nice thing about high desert winds is that they blow my leaves to someone else’s yard, or beyond. With such low humidity, the leaves are brittle and light. Off they go with the blow.
Winterizing is a guessing game. The temps are fluctuating, day by day. Today may be a sweatshirt and jeans day in the morning and shorts and t-shirt day in the afternoon. If you don’t like the weather now, wait an hour. Collecting up the yard art, each piece reminds me of something special that has happened since I have lived here. A crazy little red neck boy was my first housewarming gift. Relieving himself on my tree, his head is crimped backward with an impish grin. This was a special gift from T and K, before the sale was even complete.
Windchimes no longer clang in the autumn winds. Buddha will take a ride back into the RV barn for safe keeping. Many years he sat outside through all kinds of weather. Made of concrete, he’s showing his age. I wouldn’t want him to loose lips or an ear, or something more vital. There might be bad karma in that.
Slowly, a few pieces at a time, the garden furniture will be moved inside. Pots need to be emptied and put in the shed. Tools need to be washed off and stowed. My outdoor enjoyment will be limited to enjoying the fire pit and hot tub soaking. Soon, Winterpast will be ready for the first snow.
The gardener came over a couple of weeks ago to turn off the water for winterization. For all of you warm weather readers, in cold country, this is something that must be done at the critical time before the first frost. The reverse process happens in the spring after the last frost. Hoping the temperatures will continue to decline, we made the right decision. A slow dance of valves and drains. If the system is left charged with water, a gardener can expect to find burst pipes in the spring. Never a fun thing.
As I was walking around the yard, I was pleasantly surprised by more bushes that I hadn’t met yet. Floral blooms on three of them showed me that my watering system hadn’t worked last year, but has been working this year. Next year, I plan to fertilize the entire yard for brilliant greenery and blooms all year.
With hoses stowed and hose bibs wrapped, autumn can turn off the heat and start chill-in’. The hot tub has been serviced, with filters cleaned and ready for duty. Firewood is stacked and cozy is in the air.
The last chore of the year involves heavy pruning of my wild and wonderful tree. Along the back fence, this isn’t the most popular tree, but, such is life. It volunteered many years ago, growing to be the beauty it is today. No one cuts down a mature tree in the desert. No one. Especially not me. Besides, it glows on the gloomiest of days in the winter.
Being self sufficient is one of the things most important to me. I keep my cars in tip-top shape. With new tires and fresh oil, they’re ready for treacherous driving in the snows to come. Looking forward to one more journey through Yosemite while traveling west, wiper blades are new. You never know about freak storms in Autumn. Yosemite is the first to get random dustings of snow.
I plan to check expiration dates in my pantry and stock up. In the high desert, storms can come out of nowhere. VST and I chose Winterpast because the town normally gets very little precipitation throughout the year. I think we made up for that last winter, having many heavy snowstorms. I plan to use those days to write my heart out, watch old movies, and make soup.
Enjoy autumn. Try some new recipes. Watch the Halloween Baking Challenge on the food network. It’s a glorious time of year to get out and see some fall color in the forest. Enjoy today!!!!