Fall is here…….again

 

 

By Kate Lowry

Here we are at the end and at the beginning of two glorious seasons in Maine.  The days still feel like summer and the evenings feel like fall.   It’s the time of year when we need our fleece and our shorts within the same day or even the same hour.  But don’t put away the gardening gloves just yet.  And hold on to any crazy notion of packing away those shorts.  This is the best time to prepare for spring believe it or not!

Weed the gardens now instead of waiting until you’re ready to plant flowers next year. Cleaning out all this debris from summer allows you to start fresh in the spring. 

Divide plants. Exchange them with others and add to your garden for little or no cost at all.

Plant your spring bulbs in the fall, but be careful about timing:  too early and they may flower before winter, too late and they may not survive the frost.

Fertilize and aerate the lawn. Nourish it before winter, and in the spring it will be all ready to soak up another season of heat and activity.

Wash porches and decks with natural, non-toxic products.  You can even make your own cleaning products.  Visit http://www.womensvoices.org for recipes.

Prepare summer clothes for donation or resale.  Resale shops only take seasonal clothing, so have them ready for when the daffodils pop up through the snow next year.  If you did this last April with your unwanted winter clothes, you’d be getting rid of them right now!

Find all the winter outerwear in your house that won’t be used again.  I can’t think of any clothing category more important for needy people in the Maine winter.

Touch-up window sills when the air-conditioners are out.  For those of us still burdened with removing those awful things, it’s important to clean and repair the surfaces they were on.

Make a list of rooms you’d like to paint or furniture you’d like to repair.  For those snowed-in days ahead, be productive. And have fun with projects that you can do yourself.

Prepare your home to sell. Even if you’re not moving right away, it is never too early to start.    Make lists of items earmarked for family, resale or donation.  But don’t get rid of them until you talk to your realtor or home stager, as they might be important in how well your home shows.

There is something about seasons ending and seasons beginning that make us motivated to create change and improvement in our lives and in our homes.  Take advantage of it.  We have a long winter for nesting!

Kate Lowry Designs, LLC is a full service design firm, specializing in Home Staging, Interior Redesign and Senior Downsizing. Kate is the Downsizing Specialist for several area retirement communities.  207-776-9558, info@katelowrydesigns.com, www.katelowrydesigns.com