Two Great Fall Cleaning Hacks

Yesterday was the "official" first day of fall. In celebration of it's arrival I've been cleaning up a storm. I get a thrill out of cleaning and sorting. Changing the house and gardens from spring to fall.


But there are two big jobs that I hate doing.

The first is washing windows. 

 Our two story house has a lot of windows, with small panes and aluminum storms.  I'm not crazy about heights and no matter what product I try, the windows are still streaky when I'm done.  So this year we hired Streak Free Window Cleaning run by my friend Greg Schmitz.

True this may not constitute a true fall cleaning hack, but he and his crew did a FANTASTIC job. The windows are clean and truly streak free.  They were so careful, even oiling some hard-to-reach crank-out window mechanisms for us.  Now those crank-out windows, crank out without complaint.  If you're on the fence about whether it's worth it or not to hire this job out, just do it.

My second hack,  is more of a hack.  Every year at this time the daylillies start looking really sorry, beat-up and tired.  

I get out my trusty small clippers and start scissoring away.  It takes me 15 to 20 hours over four days to clip all of these.  My carpel-tunnel flares up.  I can't hold a spoon or fork for almost a week, This development excites Prince Charming as he thinks this lack of utensil holding will lead to smaller knee dimples. On me, not him.  I've found when I'm in as sorry a state as the daylillies, beat-up and tired looking I can still suck milkshakes through a straw.  Don't fret about me, Wonder Ones, those knee dimples aren't getting any smaller.

I'm losing sight of my point, earlier this spring we purchased an electric hedge trimmer. 

I had the brilliant idea of using said trimmer, Rambo-style, to cut the daylillies down.  

Photo courtesy of Internet.  Sorry couldn't find a picture of Rambo's knees.

Two hours later the daylillies were whipped into shape and I could 

still hold a spoon.


I was especially proud that I didn't cut  the electrical cord that tethers the trimmer to power, and while I came close to nicking my chubby little knees, they emerged unscathed! 

After the trimming!

 I now had 13 to 18 hours back in my life to go to the spa, read my favorite novel, eat bon-bons or do more fall cleaning.....

It's been raining here and we're under a flood watch.  The rivers in the area should crest Saturday night.  We had almost four inches of rain in the past 24 hours, and it's still raining so the flooding could last awhile.  This is usually our "dry" season.  Flooding now is unusual. The gardens are mostly quiet this time of year, without much blooming until the trees start changing color.

But I did find a couple of fun things blooming in the garden this week.

The fall anemones are looking lovely.

And the pots still have some life left in them.

Have you stepped outside at night this week?  Did you see the harvest moon, and hear the crickets?  The waters rise, the earth spins and it's up to us whether we'll pause long enough in the middle of our frenetic lives to soak in the moonlight, hear the small voice of the cricket serenade, smell the leafy, earthy smell of summer slipping quietly out the door as fall tricks in.

Fall's Totchkes

Earlier this month we returned from a several week trip to Michigan. The only kind of shopping I do on vacation is window shopping. Heck the only kind of shopping I like is windown shopping.

And it helps if the windows have flowers in front of them.  This is the charming corner grocery in Leland, MI., www.lelandmi.com called the Leland Mercantile Co., http://www.lelandmerc.com/. Maybe if you go there, you'll go inside.  I was too entranced with the outside to take time to step out of the beautiful sunny day.

Leland is rich in window shopping in Fish Town

and people watching

 Lots of father-son duos taking the ferry out to Manitou Islands for camping adventures.  Even if you're not as adventorous, you too can take the ferry for a day hike http://www.lelandmi.com/find-a-business/recreation/.

What I bring home from trips away are natural tchtotkes like stones, pine cones and shells.

It got me to thinking about fall's tchotkes.  Mostly I leave fall tchtotkes outside so that I can admire them as  I walk.

This autumn clematis came from my good friend, Ann's, garden.  When I walk by it I think of love and friendship.  I think the point of having tchotchkes to be reminded of the person, event or thing that brings happy thoughts.  Why do you collect tchotchkes?

These fall blooming anemones come from our gardener David.  They give me such joy lining the path to the bicycle shed.

I piked up these asters the year we spent living in Nebraska.  They remind me of the big sky and the wild Platte River like a ribbon winding it's way across the state.

Everywhere I look, leafs are beginning to change into their fall wardrobe.

Mostly I leave my fall tchotchkes where I find them, but I can't resist leaves.  I'm getting a pretty impressive collection. Prince Charming is very tolerant as I pause every few steps to pick up and examine a new leaf on our walk.  I limit myself to four or five with each walk, picking up and discarding leaves like an expert poker player discards cards.

And I bring home dozens of apples, different varieties from different orchards. Green, red, yellow, soft, firm, good for cooking, good for eating, sweet, crunchy, tart--can you have enough apples?!

What kind of fall tchotchkes do you collect?

The Last Dance

The party is almost over.

Earlier this summer when the dance was just beginning, the perennial sun border was the belle of the ball, no?

Every where you looked there was the flush of youth.

Now as summer winds down, it's black spots

and ruin.

It's the season of summer senescence. Just around the corner, the next party is gearing up; maybe my favorite party of the year....Autumn.

See here:

In the beautifully named Autumn Joy Sedum.

And here a little promise of

Crimson, hiding in the burning bush. This is the season to take a breath, enjoy the cool breeze, the smells of fall, the sounds of the high school marching band practicing for Friday night's game. It's almost time to break out....

Pumpkins!

And the scarecrow.