Wrapping up summer, preparing for fall and winter

Hi neighbors. It is the last weekend of August and we bid goodbye to the last full month of summer. Where did it go? Not that there still aren't lots of things to work on and play with, and hopefully cooler weather in which to do the outside work and play.

As the ants would tell us, it is time to prepare and get ready for the upcoming winter months. Canning garden vegetables and orchard fruits is almost finished. Freezing herbs, meats, fish, beans and nuts should be about wrapped up till fall hunting season begins.

The Farmer's Market is still going strong and we should all take advantage of that. It's a great way to have fresh produce if you can't have your own garden. It is always smart to buy local and get it fresh. Sweet corn, zucchini and yellow squashes, tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes and many other vegetables and local berries are still available and they freeze or can well for winter use.

Take the kids to visit local orchards to pick apples, pears, and peaches. It's a great family outing and a real lesson in surviving in style.

Let's not take in the porch flowers just yet. Don't put the patio furniture up for storage. There may still be several good weekends and evenings to enjoy the great outdoors.

There is time to do some deep cleaning in the house and garage or storage sheds. Get hard-hearted with your closets! If you haven't worn it in several months (or years) take it out! Separate what you still need from what is no longer necessary. Yes, I said necessary, not just still there out of habit. I know, it's difficult. We did after all buy all those clothes, nick-knacks and small appliances, etc., because they appealed to us. Trust me, a clean cut heals fastest so just say no and put them in the "yard sale" box.

What is the end of summer without yard sales! Many of you may remember me talking about my aunt and her enormous end-of-summer yard sales. She would shop yard sales all summer just to have a yard sale just before school started.

No matter how emotionally attached to clothes, shoes, pots and pans, jackets, exercise equipment, flower pots, outgrown toys, ceramic odds and ends and other things that take up space and never serve any real purpose any more; sell them!

You can always use the money to buy more "stuff" to replace them and think of how you are helping the economy by extending their usefulness by selling them cheaply to someone who might actually have a use for them.

Yard sales remind me of the scenes in movies showing market places where people all gather to sell their handy-crafts or meat and produce. It's a great way to socialize so don't miss that aspect of it while trying to sell your goods. Think more market place and less retail store and you'll enjoy what might be a long day more.

There is a lot of preparation and attention to detail needed for a profitable yard sale. Don't forget marketing! Run an ad in the newspaper, make up some fliers. Get the children involved and teach them some tips on business techniques.

Everything should be a lesson in life when children and parents set out to do anything together. Even fun and games can be great teaching tools. A simple hike in the woods can cover several subjects including observations of animals, plants, insects, birds, and even weather patterns. Lessons in art appreciation can develop from observations of nature and human impact on it. Even philosophy can be taught while lying under a tree watching the branches move in the wind and finding animals, people and other things in cloud formations.

We should all keep in mind that the beauty and responsibility of being a parent or grandparent is evident every time we interact with our children. Even when not in a formal classroom setting, children learn all the time from those around them. Be mindful of what you are teaching!

Back to celebrating August.... if you haven't made it to the pond for fishing, the pool for swimming, or the lake for boating, now is a great time to do that.

Don't forget the family summer vacation. It may be too late for a two-week get-away, but you can still take a weekend to get out and visit the extended family at a distance.

Until the next time friends, remember, any time is a good time to make plans with family.