Gathering the Nuts for Winter

I hesitate to say this, because I know what happens when I brag about it.  I've got most of the winter stuff done. Like a squirrel gathering his nuts, I've got all the summer things ready for winter.  Patio decorations on the deck we never had time to use this year, all put away.  

Planters stripped and put away, except for a set of die-hard marigold pots that just won't quit.  I don't want to spoil the party, so I left them alone - Bloom away, little Orange Dudes.. Nobody told the marigolds that it was almost winter.    Also, I've gathered enough marigold seeds to foliate the entire neighborhood next spring.

The leaves are all swept up, and I shake my tiny fist at the heavens at the injustice of this.  In our entire empire, we do not have a lawn, much less a tree.  It's all concrete and blacktop, and we like it that way! And yet, last night I swooped up four cubic yards of the neighbors' leaves from our grounds.   The neighbors didn't want the leaves back, but the leaves have to be removed, because otherwise they turn my snow blower into a high-velocity compost shredder spreader.

Down in "the pit", there's a valve i have to deploy that drains the external water pipes, so the pipes won't break when it freezes.  I take a ladder over the wall, then lower the ladder into the pit, until i'm 2-1/2 stories below the wall.  Turn the valve, reverse, repeat.  Over the wall!

Boilers all tested, expansion tanks drained.  New filters in the forced-air furnaces, new batteries in all the thermostats.


The gooey sump pump project is done at last.  I never wanted to take a camera down there, so trust me on this. Suffice it to say that whenever I was working in this area, my wife wouldn't let me in the house without immediately changing clothes.  I thought I had if fixed once, but the new pump was of such a light construction that the weight of the water column caused it to tip over, and then it would sit on its floaty thing so it wouldn't shut off and it would go BWAAAAAAAA! in the middle of the night.  I restrained it with rigid PVC connections, and finally got all the fittings adapted to the various diameters to connect it with the sewer.  Stinky Tinker Toys..

And so, Happy Fall!  Keep warm!


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