A Taste of Winter

 The day started much like any other day – waking up to the alarm, rolling out of bed and letting the dog out. DANG!  That’s when the sharp blast of cold air hit me, along with the damp which very shortly afterward became snow.  Yes, SNOW!  Snow stuck on geraniums, mum, pumpkins and my truck. GRR!!  Not making this Summer girl a happy camper in any way, shape or form.

Temps are hitting a high of 41° F, with wind gusts of 45 mph.  Oh joy – NOT!  The reason for my angst is not that I didn't know winter is on the way – I can read a calendar after all, though I don’t have to like it.   There are still a few bright pops of autumn color.

This weekend the Michigan house was closed for the season.  Temps hovering right above freezing are not ideal for this activity.  Thankfully, most all the outdoor items were safely (and warmly) stowed in the garage a few weeks ago by my sister & me. Having someone to help made that chore go fast and a little fun, not to mention – done! 

The actual closing involves packing up and schlepping out anything that can freeze or be damaged by the prolonged cold – cleaning supplies, electronic devices, food and beverages, etc.  And then, there’s the annual draining of the hot water heater and toilets.  This involves hoses, clamps, valves, buckets and water – none of which is fun in the colder temps we are supposed to have.  And to think, I had campaigned to close down a week later! Brrr!

Since it was only Mom and me this weekend, the packing up part went fairly quickly.  My method goes like this - Take a box, open a cabinet and sweep everything off the shelves into the box. No fuss, no muss – it all goes. Boxes are staged by the door closest to the vehicle they get loaded into on Sunday morning. 

Mom’s method is only slightly different but of the same mindset – Get It Done!  And get it done BEFORE the Notre Dame college football game on Saturday evening.  8:oo pm Eastern Time!! 

By 7:00, we were home from dinner, finishing up some of the packing, and making sure Mom's recliner was in place. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have played the Navy Midshipmen for 88 consecutive years and Saturday's game was expected to be a great match up.   

I set up in the opposite corner, on the dining room table for some machine quilting.  

Given Notre Dame scored on the second play of the game, with Mom cheering them one, I was glad I had  packed the laptop with the headphones!  

It was a long, well fought, high scoring game, with the Fighting Irish winning 49-39. I tuned into some archived episodes of Quilt Cam and stitched away, while also defrosting the freezer.

More on this project later this week.