Written by Shannon Tillman

I really love winter. I like the snow, the skiing, the holidays, and all the time I get to spend with family I hardly ever see. Unfortunately, before I get to enjoy all those things, I have to get the house ready for the season. It's not that hard of work, it's just tedious and takes me forever to get done.

Usually I get the house prepped for winter by the end of October, but this year it's been warmer than usual, so I kept putting it off. I finally got the storm windows up, 23 of them in all. As much as I hate messing with them I can't imagine putting up with that wind drafting through all winter. We put new, all-weather, doors on this summer, so at least I could skip the storm doors.

I got a new air compressor, so blowing out the sprinklers was about as easy as it has ever been. The air conditioner just gets drained and bagged for the season, thank goodness. I think that's the least troublesome of the lot. The furnace is always difficult to get to so I save it for last. Once I get the air filter switched out and the furnaced moved back into place it's time to relax. After the winter work is done, I always sit back with a glass of hot cider and watch TVbyDirect.