Wake Up Call

Today my furnice kicked in for the first time this year.For me this a sign that winter is just around the corner and its time to get my house ready for the cold weather. Usually the first thing I do is get my furnice tuned up.The tune up helps it run more efficiently,use less fuel and save on maintance. After that,I get the storm windows out and ready to be put on. The next step is getting my garden ready for the winter. Usually this means doing my final transpalnting of plant and mulching. This allows me to fill in the gaps in my garden so it will look better in the spring. Mulch helps to retain water in the ground and prevents the newly planted material from heaving. Most importantly,its a good time to prune the plants.It helps them look better and creates better growth in the spring.Latter on in the year,I will take all of the leaves and dead material from my plants and add it into my compost heap. I can use the material from my compost heap as mulch and fertalizer. It will help create a cleaner and healthier garden Most inportantly,I make sure that all of my gutters are clean and in good shape. This helps prevent water and melting snow from the roof to flow into the ground. Lastly,I drain most of the water from my rain barrel out. I would hate to see it burst when the water turn into ice. These chore are a lot of work,but will help save money, make your house more comfortable.