Do You "Prepare" for Winter?

Around here, we prepare for winter.

Though there are a few more things 

I would like to see finished up before the snow flies,

I am beginning to ease up a bit.

Over the past couple months,

we have been working in the garden

in order to stock up.

And I am actually glad to say that I think

my love affair with my pressure-canner

has come to an end for the season.

I finished stacking the wood this morning.

There is still some bark mess to deal with,

but the wood is in order.

I dug a few spuds this morning as well.

I'm not sure why it is that digging spuds

makes me feel so successful.

Maybe it's because you have to trust

that they are there even when you can't see them.

Most of mine still have green plants 

so it might be November before I get to dig more.

I also pruned my tomatoes,

having just learned about that this year.

A dear friend told me she had finished

pruning hers.  It sounded so funny.

I told her my plants were loaded

with green tomatoes.

She said if you prune all the 'tops'

and any new growth,

the plant will feed the tomatoes better.

We will probably get one more salad

worth of lettuce from the garden

as it is beginning to bolt.

I feel pretty fortunate.

We haven't had to buy lettuce since June.

I just planted some in with a house plant

to see if I can get some to grow inside.

No matter where you live,

it's probably a good idea to be prepared

for at least a couple days

of no power, closed roads, or whatever

might come about.

If you have a barbecuer,

make sure it has propane (if it's that kind:)

It's still possible to cook on it in winter

~just not as much fun as in summer.

And last but not least,

don't forget water...

that one's pretty important.

All done?

Time for a cup of hot cocoa.

Yum.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches