It’s time to start buckling down for blustery winds and dropping temps. Around our house, that means we have to accomplish the following before the snow flies:

• Clean and store our patio and porch furniture
• Check the caulk and seals around our windows and doors, install new weather-stripping if needed
• Wash exterior windows one last time (so I don’t have to stare at the same dirt all winter long)
• Drain and store garden hoses, shut off the exterior spigots.
• Clean out our gutters and downspouts
• Test the boiler and radiators (we did this about a month ago), get the boiler maintenance guy over to clean it out
• Clean out the gardens and trim back our plants and trees
• Clear leaves from the basement window wells and around the foundation to ensure good drainage
• Rake the leaves once they fall – most of them are still on the trees! This is a good thing, because it means we’ll get one crazy day of wind that blows them all off at once. No need for multiple days of raking.

Also, because fall isn’t all work and no play, I’m adding a few of my personal fall activities….

• Put all my Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations up around the house and yard
• Carve a few pumpkins for the porch
• Drink a mug full of hot apple cider from a local mill

What fall chores have I neglected to put on my list? I’m sure there are plenty more to contend with before winter….