Decked

Ah, the verities of Fall. Much like the weather, I am feeling changeable and unpredictable. Just a general lethargy coupled with a need to prepare for winter. All I want to do is play endless games of solitaire, let my mind wander about, possibly read a book. This is my second fall here in the mountains. I still laugh when I think...what the heck does a SF Bay Area girl know about winterizing her house. Seriously, this word didn't even enter my lexicon until I moved here. Actually, it is a pretty mild operation involving draining and covering the evaporative cooler, disconnecting some water lines, rolling up the hoses for storage. Still, this year there is the added responsibility of getting the deck painted and sealed before the onset of winter which would no doubt do a fair bit of destruction if left in it's current state. Hence, I have added another new word to my expanding vocabulary and increasing abilities.


Behold the Pressure Washer. Three different hose connections. Five different nozzles. Woohoo.This is what I did on Saturday morning. Noise and water and paint chips flying all over the yard. Strangely, once this little beauty was up and running and in my hands I had an overwhelming desire to pressure wash the whole darn place. I stopped after a bit but I did spray down the screens and windows and flush out some muck that was accumulating around said windows. Happily I can report that the windows withstood the assault. There was going to be painting today, however, we are expecting a cold snap this evening that would just ruin any attempt so that will wait until later this week. Hard to imagine this little weather tic right now. It is a balmy 72 degrees in the sun and quite lovely in the yard.

Here's a look a my scrubby looking deck. Needless to say, the after painting picture should look oodles more attractive.

Meanwhile, here's a photo of a wildflower I have been waiting to see bloom for months. Pretty.
Here's to a newly painted deck, vibrant colors that catch the eye, digging out the mittens, hats, scarves, enjoying those last bits of warm sun.