Fall
is in the air. The leaves are turning,
the air is cool, and the smell of wood burning in the fire place can be smelled
from fires all around, except where I live.
One of the worst droughts in history is affecting my beautiful
California and so the true signs of fall seem to have gone to the wayside. The leaves have been brown for a while due to
water shortages, the temperatures outside have been pretty much hovering
between 90 and 100 degrees, and the smell of wood burning all around is
courtesy of devastating wild fires, not fireplaces. When faced with all of that, it is hard to
even wrap my head around the fact that today is the first day of fall. At least, I have Starbucks to let me know
that autumn has begun, when it finally made their Pumpkin Spice Latte’s
available. This is usually the time of
year that I like to tackle some of the bigger home projects that just seem too
daunting to try in the heat of summer but definitely need to be done before the
much colder weather of winter. I go to
my handy dandy Home Maintenance checklist and make a plan. I know I have talked about my checklist
before, but let me remind you that this simple list can be a real life saver
when it comes to basic maintenance reminders for your home. Keeping a schedule and checking off tasks as
they are completed will only help you to keep your home in working order and
keep you on task to fix any minor problems before they become huge
headaches.
So,
pumpkin spice latte season is at hand, so look at fall on the list. There are several things you can do that will
help you prepare for the months ahead and make sure that your home is in tip
top shape. First, you should clean and
inspect your gutters. Remove any debris
and look for any damage, as leaks can lead to damage to your siding or your
roof. While you are up there, you should
then inspect your roof. Any small damage
that has occurred throughout the year can lead to major problems in the
winter. Get things fixed now or face the
possibility of devastating damage by hail, ice or snow in the winter. If you can, now is the best time to touch up
any paint on the exterior of your home.
Besides giving your home a little more curb appeal, it will also protect
your home from being beaten up by winter storms. Speaking of winter, and possible colder
temperatures, now is a great time to get your fireplace cleaned and in working
order and to perform any maintenance to your heating system. The last thing you want when it is cold
outside is a home with no way to heat itself.
Also, to keep you and anyone who visits your home safe, test all of your
outdoor lights to make sure they are all in working order. Winter is expensive enough without having to
pay for unplanned medical bills if someone slips and falls. Lastly, keep your grass healthy so it looks
beautiful in the spring by winterizing your lawn. These are some of the things you can do in
the fall, or pumpkin spice season, to prepare your home for winter, or as I
like to call it, gingerbread latte red cup season, the best season of all.
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