The weather is decidedly autumnal now. There is no escaping the inevitability of winter. It is now a question of when the cold will descend.

I have lived in Canada all my life. I have lived in some of the coldest areas short of the actual arctic circle. I have experienced -60°C, I have driven a dogsled. I have gone for walks and come back with my hair frozen solid around my face from my own breath freezing. I have done all of that…but I hate the cold. About the only part of winter I like is the woodstove.

When it starts getting colder and darker, I, like so many forest creatures, just want to eat fattening foods and sleep. I firmly enter into hibernation mode. Motivation disappears. Oreos appear.

There is still, however, stuff I need to do before the snow comes. I need to figure out the duck housing situation. I need to get the kindling indoors and upstairs to dry out. I need to get the woodpiles tarped (preferably after a few days of dry weather). I need to get several bags of gravel dumped into the pit of despair that is the end of the driveway. I need to call the storage facilities and arrange for a unit to replace the truck in mom’s yard. We need to get the last two pieces of big furniture here before the driveway turns to soup. I need to get the battery situation figured out on the tractor.