It's time to winter proof the house

I think my dad disliked this time of year more than any other.  He and all the other men in the neighborhood. 

You see, this was the time of year when houses had to be winterized.  That meant changing out the screens for storm windows.   Back "when" we didn't have the wonderful windows we have now, the kind that tilt in and are triple paned, or whatever is selling at the present time.  We had inside sashes -- windows that went up and down by a pulley system and rope -- and outside we had separate storm windows or screens, depending on the time of year.

We also had awnings made of cloth that we used in the summer to supposedly keep us cooler.

Well, October the THE MONTH to get the screens removed and replaced with the storm windows.  That meant the windows on the second floor as well.  And the awnings had to come down.  On the back porch, it was the same deal.  All those windows (I think it was 10) had to be changed out.  Mom did the washing and drying and dad did the changing. 

Those were the days when I and my siblings would hide and keep out of the way because neither parent was in a very good mood. 

Now days we have other things that make us cranky.  We have bill-paying whether electronically or by mail.  Yes, I know my mom and dad had bills as well, but they only had electric/gas (same bill), water and telephone.  And because dad was a pastor and considered self-employed, the good old IRS and SS system quarterly estimates.

We've added to that list with our cell phones, Internet connections, cable TV, insurance (my mom and dad didn't have insurance until later in life when they FINALLY got Blue Cross for health support), automobile payments/repair bills.  I'm sure I've forgotten a few more.

We also get cranky about the weather, cars that won't start, standing in the rain waiting for a bus to get us to work or elsewhere, UPS packages that don't arrive on time -- we used to blame the US Postal Service, but they have lost a lot of their package business to UPS and FedEx.

So let's all lighten up and enjoy each day as it comes.  We don't know how many we have left.

ttfn