Glad that's over!

Hubs has gone beyond this week with keeping up with the leaves around the homestead.  He has worked in the dark, sat at a smoldering fire and gone back and forth over this acreage with a backpack blower that he admits is way heavy and makes his chest vibrate.  This is after his 50+ hours work week.  The guy is amazing with his ability to walk in the door from a long, stressful day, switch roles, change clothes and become Handy Andy in a matter of minutes.  It’s times like these that I do my best comfort food cooking.  I know he loves gravy, loves soup.  I know he loves casseroles and I crank ‘em out nearly every night during leaf raking season.  Nothing fancy here in late October/early November, but it will be warm, saucy and usually with a noodle.   

I don’t rake.  It’s not that I am opposed to raking, I’m not.  But, over the years I have been tending to kids or cooking while the rakes are out and I’m just not very good. I save my yard involvement for landscaping and weeding…which hubs does not get involved with much, unless I need something heavy moved.  I don’t drive the tractor pulling that leafvac thing or hoist the backpack blower.  I admit to being a bit of a sissy when it comes to raking.  My girls rake, as their dad taught them well, and I’m sure my grandkids will rake.  That makes me proud, and slightly ashamed.  The raking is complete so I'm told, and I am glad that he can now move on to football and popcorn on Sunday afternoons...and maybe a chore or two I have been waiting to spring on him. 

We also moved items into the new shed.  We had only small disagreements as to what was going in, what was not.  I gave in to a mower and he agreed to moving Esmerelda from her spot in the woods to enjoy winter in the new shed.  She’s been left out in the elements in previous years and they have been hard on her plaster finish.  My carts, my pots and planters, garden tools, left over mulch…it’s all found a winter home in the shed, along with the cushions and chairs and tubes for water sports.  The shed is solid and while about 90% complete (waiting on a loft and shelving, some other finishing touches) it is certainly near perfect.   

I haven’t started any decorating for the holidays but I am starting to think about it.  We don’t put up a tree any more but a few years ago I discovered securing my ornaments on garland and draping and over the counter and windows. I love the look!  A tree takes up people space and we are short on people space in my little home.  I do have a small tree that has only Santa ornaments, and I stopped buying Santa ornaments a few years ago unless I see something that is just spectacular.   

I still have plans to “make” trees for the woods. I’ll let you know how it goes, but I have some ideas! Now where did hubs get off to...