GETTING IT DONE. NOW!

November comes around and you tell yourself winter isn’t far behind. And what have you done to prepare for it? If you’re like me, you’ve put it off...

I leave it until the last minute. What smartens me up is the first real blast of snow. What do I say to myself? Where in hell did I leave my winter boots last spring? Which cupboard, or did they take up residence somewhere else? The attic? Under the stairs?

I’m only saying this in hopes it might get you off your butt and prepare for what’s ahead.

I have a hooded coat with the wood toggles hanging somewhere in the house. Where? Or the shorter, heavier leather bomber jack with the thick, fuzzy wool collar that covers the ears. It’s just long enough to keep the bum warm.

Either could be in one of several closets, or hanging in the front hall. To say nothing of hunting down warm gloves that should be easy to find, but never is. Maybe they’re with the tuques I put away in early spring.

Why-oh-why can’t I have one spot where all the winter clothes are tucked away? What a joy it would be to open a drawer or cupboard and there is everything waiting for me.

Like my turtlenecks tucked away in the bottom drawer of a five-drawer dresser. They once shared space with my cotton longjohns. I don’t have those any longer probably because it’s not my legs that get cold. I concentrate on good, warm thick-soled boots. The kind with the heavy inner boot you can pull out, for whatever reason.

Scarves. There’s nothing like a good, warm scarf wrapped around your neck and tucked into your winter coat.

Author’s comment: You have snow tires? Why not get them out of the basement, garage or wherever and pile ‘em up where you can’t miss bumping into them? Set a deadline, the 15 November say, to have friends at your local garage put them on your vehicle. I tried to change my tires to the winter variety several years ago. It was a disaster! They’re so awkward, so heavy.

JACK OF ALL TRADES

I have a good friend who’s always on top of things. Be it fixing a leaky valve, a broken water pipe. A toilet gone amuck. He has a knack for handling anything without breaking into a sweat.

Brent has finished building a good-sized office desk from wood picked up at a yard sale. It was from an old bowling alley floor cut in seven-foot lengths, four feet wide, two-inch tongue and groove.

The desk he made from it is the same size. Seven feet by four feet. (2.1 m. x 1.2m.). Sanded for hours, painted and polished to look better than new.

Last week his neighbor had a lawn sale complete with a sign. With lots of passersby stopping to see what was what, Brent put out things on his own lawn. Not that the neighbor minded. My friend told me he was sorry he didn’t have more to sell, asking if I had any unwanted stuff and he’d make me a pocketful of change. I had nothing to think of, on such short notice.

Brent sold everything. Mind, he has a gift for buying something cheaper than the offered price, and selling it for a profit. Like a second-hand bright red late model pickup in good shape. He had no intention of selling it, until someone suggested a price he couldn’t resist.

He has a touch many of us would die for. Mind, he has that easy shrug, a grin that lets you know he’s who he is: genuine and trusted.

What’s next? He’s making little Santas out of used plywood (see below) to fill up his lawn closer to Christmas. Last year he made dandy little reindeer out of small branches from a tree on his back lawn. He sold them all, turning the profit over to a local worthy cause.

Author’s comment: How does he do it? He’s affable, low key, openly friendly; always ready for a good laugh. A good time. When deciding to tackle a BIG task around the house, he goes right at it.

This past summer he gave his entire living room a fresh coat of paint. Same with the dining room, among other things. The biggest job? Ripping out the front door and replacing it with a new one which he tells me, was no easy job.