Deciding Which Projects to Finish this Year

Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for the wonderful pictures and shapes in the public domain.

Mid-September is quickly approaching, leaving me with many tasks to complete before the icy chill of winter takes over. When the year changes to sunshine arriving late in the morning and nightfall taking over in the late afternoon, I know it’s time to complete the most important projects on my slowly dwindling list of things to do. As with other years, I’m going to rely on common sense and fairly reliable forecasts to focus on the three most important projects.

Repairs and Maintenance

Some of the outside walls of the house have paint peeling away. The last few years have provided winds of over 100 mph, temperatures exceeding 100 and dropping below zero F, and rain, ice, and snow. Painting the exterior of the house is a top priority. I’m taking a few minutes here and there to sand the area where the paint is loose and following it with an application of primer. In another month conditions should be right to start painting the buildings to avoid damage from yet another hard winter. 

When the bad weather sets in, I’m replacing the old indoor-outdoor carpet on the enclosed front porch. It’s a perfect DIY inside project that abolishes cabin fever.

Decorations

I know how to make my own happiness and it starts with celebrating special days and holidays. Decorating is a wonderful way to share my joy with others and hopefully inspire them to do the same or at least add a chuckle and smile to their day. I have outdoor displays I put along the fence for Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I put solar lights on the fences top and bottom to keep the décor visible.

Basic Needs

There have been winters of being housebound for a week or more. This looks like a rerun of the same. I’ve made a list of things to stock in the pantry so we have enough food. An extra can of coffee and cocoa, as well as gallons of bottled water, have their own special shelf this year. 

The main source of heat is a woodstove. It only takes short logs, so I’m using the electric chainsaw to cut down some of the branches that fell during last winter and spring. I’m hoping to find someone who needs larger pieces of firewood and will use the large gas chainsaw to cut the big limbs for themselves and help cut up the smaller ones for me. I’ve reached the point where handling the big saw is just not fun to do anymore.

As a kid in San Diego, my biggest winter worry was having the bus fare to get to the beach during Christmas vacation. Now it’s hoping I don’t have to tackle flooded roads and highways or have the need to go to town over icy, snowy roads.

The remaining “to-do’s” start my 2015 list and an inspirational look at next year! What will you carry over to next year?