Yard work is good for the body and soul
What a gorgeous weekend! I love my weekends, and I particularly love them in the fall. I am blessed to have 3-day weekends, which never seem long enough, especially this time of year. I always start my days with a hike with Bolo, either at Round Valley, the Columbia Trail or Voorhees Park. The weather was nice and cool- I even had a hat on this morning! But then after breakfast, the day really begins. This time of year there is always so much to do, especially when you live in the woods like I do. The leaf blower is my favorite friend, and I went through 3 tanks of gas blowing all the leaves on Friday. What a good work out, walking up and down our hills with a leaf blower on my back!
I was sad to see the last of my tomatoes are gone, and it was time to pull them up out of their pots and take them to the compost pile. As much as I love the fall, it always saddens me to think that it will be a very long time before I can eat another fresh, juicy, home-grown red wonder. And, I noticed the reappearance of ticks! Bolo can’t have the Frontline anymore which always worked so well, and now begins the daily brushing and picking of my big, furry black dog.
I hope you have had the opportunity to spend time outdoors this weekend. It is a great time of year to move your exercise outside– there are plenty of chores to do outside that work your muscles and strengthen your heart! Grab a rake or shovel, and get going! The flowers need to be composted, and the perrenials need cropping. And raking leaves is a great upper body workout, and if you tighten your abdominals, raking will tone them, too!
More than anything, spending time outside is good for the soul. There is no time of year that offers such magnificent colors, from the trees and from the sunrises and sunsets. Spend time outdoors catching the sunsets this fall. The clouds and the colors are like no other time of year. Breathe in the cooler air, and smell the wood smoke. Mmmmm. I love the smell of burning wood. We have our fireplaces lit right now. It gives us warmth inside, and lovely fragrance ouside.
I hope you spend time outdoors this season. If you are an outdoorsy type, you know what I’ve been talking about. If you tend toward the indoors, this is the season that could make an outdoorswoman out of you! Go ahead. Kick up some leaves and enjoy what this season has to offer.
Reader Comments
What is with this reappearance of ticks? Here in VT, they’re not very common at all and a few of the horses have picked some up this past week. They shave the area, remove the tick, and give you (or the horse) a course of antibiotics after a tick is found up here. I couldn’t believe it! I feel like a tick is just any other old bug bite in NJ. I guess Vermonters aren’t as used to them… yet. Ever hear the statistic that 90% of the horses (including the many who have no symptoms and never will) in Hunterdon County would test positive if tested for Lyme? I forget where I heard it but I would probably believe it
I agree, Elin, ticks are so commonplace here in NJ, and for that reason, I think many of us have become too complacent in our efforts to find and remove any and all ticks. Lyme’s disease is a very insidious disease, and one which plagues many New Jerseyans. If not caught and treated promptly, symptoms can lead to permanent neurological impairment as well as heart problems. I am glad to say that the testing for Lyme’s has improved dramatically, but know that there are several other diseases that are carried by ticks that are often overlooked. These include, but are not limited to, Erlichiosis, Babesiosis and believe it or not, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Yes, this last one has been found this side of the Mississippi. So although the reactions to ticks in Vermont may seem an overreaction, remember that in NJ when ticks were first recognized as being a health problem, we were much more zealous in our offense and defense against them.
In the meantime, go over yourself and your animals daily–transmission of disease can start in as little as 12 hours according to the most recent reports– and pray for a hard freeze!!