Time to Prepare for Winter!

Preparing for Winter in Minnesota:

  1.      Wait for the fine line in the weather when it turns from hot and muggy to cool and rainy to make the transition from summer to winter, but don’t wait too long or it will be difficult to work in the mud and the ground will be too soft.

  2.      Pull the dock out – but don’t do this too early as there could be good swimming days left. Wait for that one day when the water temperature drops roughly 30 degrees overnight to signal that it is no longer swimming weather. Once this happens, don’t wait, as the water will soon be turning to ice.

  3.      Put away bikes, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, and all other summer toys.

  4.      Put plow on truck/4-wheeler/ranger/bobcat, or whatever vehicle is used to push the mounds of snow out of the way .

  5.      Put chains on tires of above vehicle.

  6.      Rake up leaves and mow the grass one last time or it will be a huge mulchy mess in the spring.

  7.      Prepare driveways for snowplowing by moving all stationary obstacles as far away from plowing areas as possible. If this is not done, you run the risk of burying them in the snow and losing them until spring - that is if you don’t find them by hitting them with the plow.

  8.      Fill the barn with hay so the horses don’t starve over the winter.

  9.      Put hay over the septic systems and well to keep them from freezing. Nothing like having your pipes freeze half way through winter only to spend the rest of the season bringing clothes to the Laundromat and showering at friends’ houses.

  10.  Put summer clothes away and pull out all long sleeve shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, long underwear, turtlenecks, boots, scarves, mittens, earmuffs, down jackets, snow pants, and anything else that will keep the chill away.

  11.  Pull out winter toys, including snowmobiles, sleds, skis (cross-country and/or downhill), snowshoes, and snow molds for building snow forts.

  12.  Change the tires on the car from summer tires to snow-tires.

  13.  Change oil in the car to winter grade.

  14.  Fill up the windshield washer fluid in the car.

  15.  Put away the ice tea and stock up on hot-cocoa and marshmallows.

  16.  Turn off the air-conditioner, and move the wood pile closer to the house for cozy nights by the fireplace. 

17.  Stock up on Kleenex and cold medicine. 

  18.  Put away the potted plants and make room for Christmas lights.

  19.  Now wait for the snow to come…

Preparing for Winter in California:

    1.      Put pool toys in shed.

    2.      Pull out sweatshirt.

There's Something About Crisp Autumn Air...

I miss the fall in northern Minnesota. Right now in the Midwest, the temperatures are dropping, people are digging out their cozy sweaters, and the leaves are starting to turn. The air will be crisp and have the most exhilarating scents of falling leaves and dampness and fresh wilderness. The bugs will go into hiding and the horses will feel a little friskier.

It's my favorite time of year to run on the trails through the woods around my hometown in Minnesota, and take the dogs for long walks. I loved digging out my comfy jeans, cozy sweatshirts, and favorite sweaters. Hot tea tastes good again, and cocoa by the fire is just around the corner. There's an energy to autumn that makes a person feel like all is good with the world and life is stable. The season comes on fast, changing from heavy humidity and the heat of summer to crisp air and lightness overnight.

If you've never experienced fall in the Midwest, it is truly spectacular. The colors are vibrant, even iridescent. Forests in Minnesota extend as far as the eye can see, completely uninterrupted by buildings, power lines, or any signs of civilization. It's one of the things I relish when I go back to Minnesota and look out over the rolling hills of trees that surround my parents' horse farm and extend far into the horizon. The endless view restores my hope that the world is not being completely taken over by humans.

As much as I love where I live in Southern California, this fall I am really homesick for Minnesota and the majestic beauty of autumn there. I'm missing the energy and that feeling of hunkering down and making the most of every minute before the days get shorter, the temps get colder, and the north woods prepare themselves for the next change of season.

This fall I won't be able to return to Minnesota for my annual autumn weekend at the horse farm, but I'll be there to get my winter-fix over Christmas. In the meantime, I'll make the most of the cooling air and the trees that do change colors in the midst of the palm trees here in SoCal.

"You Can Never Go Home Again..."

There’s an art to shoveling horse manure efficiently, and I no longer have it.  I used to, but it’s gone.

A person wouldn’t think that’s a big deal, but it’s turned into a bit of a crisis for me because I’m feeling it’s very symbolic of the fact that the life I used to have in Minnesota is now part of my past. This isn’t my way of life anymore; it’s a place I visit and I am no more than one of the thousands of tourists that descend on my old hometown every summer only to stay a short while and then return back to some other place.

It’s been two years since I moved to California, and I’ve made many trips back to Minnesota in that time, but up until now, each trip back has felt like coming home after being away for an extended vacation. This trip back to Minnesota has made me feel very homesick for Minnesota and the life we used to have here. I miss the woods, the small town, horseback rides with Mom, chatting with Dad about business, running into so many people I know when I go into town, and the beautiful countryside that we used to call home.

Staying at the farm where Mom and Dad now live - the house that Fritz and I built, and where Fritz and I raised our son for the first nine years of his life - has been strange this time. I look around the familiar rooms, turn on the familiar light switches, and hear the familiar creaks and groans of the logs, and it pulls on my heart strings a bit. This isn’t mine anymore, I’m a guest here. This was a happy place for us, and there are so many wonderful memories, and living on the farm was a good way of life. I loved walking out the front door and into the woods, listening to the birds sing and the horses stomp, hearing the leaves rustle in the wind, and it makes me homesick for what once was.

But a person can’t go back and have the same thing over again. It will never be the way it was, or at least not the way it’s remembered. Case in point: I’m not even very useful in the barn anymore because I can’t shovel shit the way I used to! Despite the homesickness, nostalgia, and loss of what was that I am feeling on this visit back to Minnesota, I don’t have regrets. I know me, and I know that I often look backwards on my life with rose-colored glasses, thinking it’s too bad that I never realize how good the moment is when I’m in it. And as much as I miss the peace and beauty of northern Minnesota and the nearness to family, I’m happy where I am. I love my neighborhood, I love the ocean, I love wine country, I love the friends we’ve made, and I love the life we have there. 

My only complaint about southern California is there are too many people, but Minnesota has too many bugs...

At least I can squish the bugs without getting in trouble.