Brrr. Fall is definitely here!

[Clipper]

I woke up to 40 degrees this morning. It was actually several degrees colder here than it was in Utica. The nights are going to continue to be cold with a possible frost forecast for Friday night into Saturday. Daytime highs are still holding at a pleasant high 60's to mid 70's most days.

We had so much rain over the weekend that the creek across the road was still swollen Monday afternoon. Now the skies are blue and it is supposed to be in the mid 60's by noon. Yesterday was a great day for outside work. Sunny and bright. I washed the truck, did a bit of weed whacking, mowed the lawn, and changed the valve cover gasket on the lawn tractor. It had been seeping a small amount of oil around the valve cover that would drip on the muffler and smoke. It was leaking enough that I was wary of putting it away in the garage without letting it cool down for fear it might catch fire.

The leaves are falling so it is time to put the bagging attachment on the tractor. I have to take the dog to the groomer, and then to the vet's office to have them give her the monthly dose of Trifexis, and then I will take on the task of fighting with the chute on the bagging attachment. It is held in the discharge chute on the tractor with some two short and real strong rubber bungee's with hooks on the ends. I always have trouble stretching them and hooking them because I don't have the strength in my arthritic hands any more.

Looks like it is going to be a beautiful day in CNY also. Enjoy the sunshine and blue skies and have a great day.

[Deleted]

Is that medication for the dog for heartworm? When I had my dog the Vet gave me a prescription so I could just give the dog the pill myself. I was wondering if things changed since the 70's. LOL

Always something. In the middle of this move my SNAP phone interview has to be today around 11:30AM so I'm waiting before I can do anything.

[Deleted]

I think Tupper Lake area. Found it on syracuse.com Click on image to enlarge. Very beautiful...

[BHU]

Sunny & bright all day here with temps in the 60's, tomorrow 75. Ran the truck thru the car wash & changed the oil & filter with full synthetic so I'm good for a few months with that chore. Tomorrow I may mow, probably will be the last time for this year. 

[clarencebunsen]

I have a big maple tree which always hangs onto its leaves until after the first snowfall. My spring cleanup is always a ton of leaves.

[BHU]

One of my neighbors had a huge maple that would drop leaves in late fall into my yard like yours. Every spring I would have to rake them up. It was a beautiful tree which they had taken down but I don't miss those leaves. I would rake them onto a plastic tarp & drag them out front for the city to pick up. Not fun.

[Clipper]

We also have two maples that hold onto their leaves late into the season, long after the rest of our oaks, ash, and walnut trees are bare. I clean up all the rest of the leaves and then have to wait for a period of time for the maples to drop their leaves. It is frustrating to have to wait for those two trees. I like to have all the lawn and garden equipment serviced for winter, washed and put away. All the small engines get new oil, new air filter elements, and gas stabilizer put in the tanks. Then they get pressure washed, the bottoms of the mower and mowing deck on the tractor get scraped pressure washed and painted with rustoleum spray paint. During the winter months when that stuff isn't in use, I occasionally pull it out in the carport and run the engines for awhile.

Leaf cleanup is quite a bit easier since we had those two huge trees removed this past summer. Just about all of the property used to be under 4 or 5 inches of leaves in the fall. Even with the bagger on the tractor, leaf removal is a major time consuming chore. At least now some of the front most of the back, and a small piece of the side no longer are totally covered anymore.

I guess you guys are at an advantage in that your leaves will be all gone and taken care of while I am still fussing with them. The drawback though is that it won't be long before you are having to clear snow from your driveways. I bitch about weather here and miss upstate NY this time of year, but I certainly don't miss the snow and cold of upstate NY anymore.

[BHU]

Idk, it seems that we don't get the winters we used to that would drag out some years till mid April. Last year I used the snowblower no more then 5-6 times. December of last year we hung Xmas lights outside with not an inch of snow on the ground. But, I'm not complaining. I don't mind the cold & snow too much. It's the boredom of being cooped up inside for 4-5 months that gets me, & the lack of sunlight. I guess we'll see what mother nature throws us this season.

[Clipper]

Oct 15, 2020 7:17:41 GMT -5 BHU said:

Idk, it seems that we don't get the winters we used to that would drag out some years till mid April. Last year I used the snowblower no more then 5-6 times. December of last year we hung Xmas lights outside with not an inch of snow on the ground. But, I'm not complaining. I don't mind the cold & snow too much. It's the boredom of being cooped up inside for 4-5 months that gets me, & the lack of sunlight. I guess we'll see what mother nature throws us this season.

I think that it is that being cooped up inside thing that drives me also. I have to be doing something all the time. I guess that is what most likely drives my almost compulsive fussing with the lawn and garden equipment. How many people do you know that clean and paint the bottom of their lawnmower every year or wax the painted surfaces on their lawn mower and rototiller to make it easier to wash with a hose? Do you wash your hoes, shovels, and rakes, and spray paint them to keep them from rusting? Do you preserve the wooden handles with linseed oil periodically? I have a shovel and a garden rake that belonged to my grandfather that gets washed when I use it and spray painted with dollar store spray paint periodically. LOL. Kathy just shakes her head sometimes. She says our water bill would probably be a bit lower if I wasn't constantly washing the truck, the mower, or hosing down the driveway. She was making fun of me not long ago because I pressure washed the tines on the rototiller, wiped them dry with an old rag, and sprayed them with silicone spray, but I have a 6 yr old rototiller with tines that are rust free and red paint on the rest of the tiller that looks the same as the day I brought it home from Sears. Is that compulsive behavior or just good maintenance? inquiring minds want to know, haha.

I don't know if you still work BHU, but part of my desire to be moving all the time is that I find that retirement can be quite boring since Kathy developed health issues that limit our ability or desire to travel or camp much anymore. I always fished and hunted but between my health, the pandemic, and the fact that I don't like leaving her alone I stick pretty close to home most of the time. I always worked and many times at more than one job so I find it difficult to just sit still and do nothing in my retirement.

[BHU]

I retired a little over 2 years ago, Clipper. I've been keeping busy around here doing projects around the house that was built in 1945, but is still standing strong, it has good bones. It was a bit difficult keeping up when I was working 10-12 hour days, but now I have too much time on my hands. I planned on picking up something part time to pick up some extra cash & to keep busy a few hours a day, but Covid reared it's ugly head & to be frank I'm not sure if I have the patience to put up with some people. I barely put up with myself at times. Lol. I'm getting ready to put all my power tools such as the mower, weedeater, etc. to bed for the winter after one last use. Now I'm waiting on some Tomcat Mole killer that I bought off ebay. Moles have invaded my lawn & that's the only way I know how to get rid of those suckers. They're already doing a job & it's only been a week since I noticed the tunnels that their digging. That mole killer is banned in N.Y., but I beat them at their own game & got it from ebay. They can sue me. Lol