Columbus Day rituals

For hubby and me, Columbus Day weekend is when we "winterize" the yard.  The patio and most of the porch furniture gets carted to the barn, my little water feature gets drained and covered, and all the flower pots get cleaned out and put away.  This the is weekend the large American flag that is hung from the porch on Memorial Day, is taken down, carefully folded and put away.

This morning

This ritual marks the end of the warm weather and our preparation for winter.  The snow blower takes up it's position right inside the garage door, where it stands ready to do battle with snow that will soon fall.  The fire is lit in the kitchen fireplace to ward off the morning chill and I'm back into my almost constant cup of hot tea.

Winter Office

 I like this time of year.  I like pulling on jeans and soft sweaters and sticking my chilly toes into my fur-lined Merrill's.  I like soups and stews and snuggling in front of the fire on Sunday afternoons to watch the Patriots play.  By the end of January, I'll be singing a very different tune, but that's then.  This is now and I like this time of year.