What Winter Preparations Are Underway

Lawrence00

Lawrence00

Senior Member
I live in a newer apartment so I don't have the to do list that I once had with the house.

Unscrew the garden hose to prevent freeze, plastic covering for some windows, outdoor gardening work.

Haven't had firewood stacking chore for a long time.

I only did Christmas lights once 🎄 ✨️

I keep my thermal curtains mostly closed now. Bring out the winter wear. Need an oil change and tire pressure set.
 

Open up the Bilcos and put the hose in the basement and shut the water off. Put the riding mower away in the garage.
Wait for the frost to get the plants and then wait for a warmish day and rake out the flower beds. Makes it easier to mulch and transplant stuff in the spring.

Put the capris and short sleeve shirts away. Get out the long pants and the long sleeve shirts. Depending on the weather get out my jeans and corduroys and flannels. Jackets and coats reside in the hall closet and socks are available to wear as needed.

Take the car in for an oil change etc and have them top up the air in my tires. When it gets cold the low tire icon always shows up on the dash. Then you have to crouch around all four tires trying to figure out which one. Phooey on that. I just get my oil changed and have them do it. :D

Schedule the annual maintenance visit for the boiler once it gets cold enuf to turn on and the pumps circulate the hot water.
Go to each radiator and bleed any air out.
 
Will just take a couple hours to pull out winter gear in an upstairs closet while switching summer gear in. Will wait until the Tahoe ski season looks certain that could be early December. As a skier, I have plenty of warm clothing. Otherwise, little for this person do here in the SFBA that rarely even sees below freezing night temperatures.
 
I will take out the winter clothes, buy some gloves at Lands End, try to figure out how to be more fashionable and a bit less comfortable. Try on clothes I haven't worn to see if I hate them (mainly the sleeves). Sometimes I buy stuff I think I really like, then think later they will make me look like mutton dressed as lamb.

Also going to get my car thoroughly checked out (2004 Honda CRV, 106,000 miles owned by my family's women since 2004). Need to find out if I'll need antifreeze here, too. And about radiator water and stuff. I think I'll have all the fluids checked too. That, I guess, will include the radiator.

I don't really know much about cars. Husbands and my father and my brother always took care of that stuff. The same dad who said women didn't need college because all they'd get was their Mrs., also said women shouldn't do yard work or mess with cars or take out the trash.

I am actually going to read the owner's manual that came with my car. There is a first time for everything!
 
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WheatenLover said:
I will take out the winter clothes, buy some gloves at Lands End, try to figure out how to be more fashionable and a bit less comfortable. Try on clothes I haven't worn to see if I hate them (mainly the sleeves). Sometimes I buy stuff I think I really like, then think later they will make me look like mutton dressed as lamb.

Also going to get my car thoroughly checked out (2004 Honda CRV, 106,000 miles owned by my family's women since 2004). Need to find out if I'll need antifreeze here, too. And about radiator water and stuff. I think I'll have all the fluids checked too. That, I guess, will include the radiator.

I don't really know much about cars. Husbands and my father and my brother always took care of that stuff. The same dad who said women didn't need college because all they'd get was their Mrs., also said women shouldn't do yard work or mess with cars or take out the trash.

I am actually going to read the owner's manual that came with my car. There is a first time for everything!
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Im right there with you. Every new season I end up doing clothing auditions too. Mostly pants. I like what I have now.
I have three sizes squirreled away. I used to have four but Ive resigned myself to the fact Ill never be that thin again
unless I get really sick. Ive lost enuf weight to squeeze into the middle size. I think. Im wearing that size in my capris.
But who knows. Thanksgiving and Christmas are approaching.

I dont know much about cars either. I will tell you a secret. A lot of men dont know much either. :D
Just throw out a few terms like blipping the throttle and fake it.

And I disagree with Dad. Having a Mrs is fine if thats your thing and you can find a Mr who will treat you well and
stay with you for life. Unfortunately that is not always the case.
 
Mulched and bagged leaves for last time. Ran lawn mower dry and put away. Snow blower doesn’t seem that hard to use just a matter of doing it. New furnace filter. Truck had oil change. All my wintering over plants are downstairs under grow lights. Sprinklers blown out. Picked up water softener salt that should do me for the winter. Today it’s 66 out and winter seems far away, until it’s not. You don’t realize all the things your partner does until he’s gone.
 
Heated water tubs are plugged in and working for the horses.

I use my water hoses every day at the barn. They are each fifty foot, one inch rubber. I disconnect them and blow them out when temps hit 30’s (F). I will put one in the laundry room on extreme cold nights.

I have cast iron hydrant spigots at the barn. I cover them even though it isn’t the temperature that keeps them from working — it’s the freezing rain that layers over the handles. Same as freezing rain keeping a car door handle from working. I see more freezing rain than anything in the winter.

Electric space heater is in the ready for the above-mentioned nights to keep the floors warm so the pipes don’t slush up. I also drip faucets.

Appointment has been made for annual HVAC check/ maintenance.

My winter coat and several layer options are always on the hall tree in the laundry room.

Heavy “go to town” sweaters are now at the front of the closet, as is my son’s old goose down ski jacket❤️
 
I have checked out the walk behind snowblower to make sure it works.
I got a ladder out and cleaned out the propane heater in my garage woodworking shop. I just use an air compressor with low pressure.
I took the box blade off of the tractor and put the rear mounted snowblower on and checked to make sure it works. We had a lot of snow last winter and sounds like we may again this year.
Put the skis on the front end loader of the tractor.
Going to mulch the leaves in the yard again today. I don't bother picking them up. Seems like they break down quite well after mulching.
Disconnected the dehumidifier in the basement and put a new filter in the humidifier upstairs.
I think I'm almost ready.
 
I cleaned my primary furnance and lit the pilot lights of two propane wall mount heaters, those give me a source of heat even during a power failure. I cleaned the gutters one last time yesterday and stored the ladder away in the barn. Last week I made a new cat house for my barn cat and installed a heating pad, also set up his heated water dish, always need to make sure animals are taken care of.

Put the the blade on the tractor for plowing snow, put my bicycles in the basement for winter storage, washed my good car for it's winter sleep in the garage.

Lastly I bought some new socks. I don't want the cold weather to come but guess I'm ready.
 
C50 said:
washed my good car for it's winter sleep in the garage.
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You have a Winter Beater🤠🤸🏾‍♀️🤠🤸🏾‍♀️

I had one for years and years! I had completely forgotten about them. One of my most infamous ones was the 1959 rambler three speed on the column whose heater barely worked. I had a 1968 Corvette at that time and was not about to drive that in the winter, when I lived in Northeast Ohio.

My son also had a Beater. It was an old Chevette, so he could put his custom S-10 up for the winter, when we lived in PA.❤️❤️
 
Even though the winters here are brutal, now that I am in an apartment my winter prep is much easier! I ensure my coat, gloves, and boots, and driveway salt are in my unit, because even the short walk to my garage can be a nightmare when a storm blows in, and I don't want to be caught off guard.

Most of my winter prep has to do with my car: ensure the battery is OK and the oil level is fine, and double-check my emergency kit, which includes a box with jumper cables, flares, reflective triangles, first aid kit, etc. I also have a blanket, collabsible shovel, anti-skid things to put under my tires if I get stuck on ice, and a lot more. Winters here are nothing to mess around with, especially if you venture onto the interstates.
 
Bag and store the patio chair cushions, wrap outside water faucets, move patio plants to the inside, the big patio plants I can't move have to be wrapped, make sure tractors have enough antifreeze, take down the birdbaths, I mulch some of the inground plants by using the mower to throw mulched up leaves in the beds....after all that the leaf roundup starts.
 
When I had my house in northern Montana, all was done mch like KSav does. I lived 25 miles from the nearest town so I made sure I had everything! Now I live in central New York State and I still follow the above list. This area is cold, wet and snowy and I try not to leave inside in the winter. We have already had 2 bouts of snow in the first week of November.
No car here and no lawn so no problems there. Just load up with wool to spin and books to read and some groceries and I am good to go ---er, stay.
 
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