Autumn in Upstate New York

I could walk to Canada in about a half day. The border is pretty much open nowadays even with the pandemic. It would be a beautiful walk among the autumn scenery. I walk a lot alongside the roads and also in the woods. It's refreshing!

My warning

Autumn signals to me the fact that I need to prepare for the upcoming winter months from late October to mid-April. It is not unusual to see snow fall in multiple inches by Halloween.

Years ago we received 36 inches of snow in 24 hours. That's a meter more or less for you friends in Europe and Asia. We need to ave a snow blower on hand or pay someone else to remove the snow.

Preparation

This means I need to chop a few cords of wood for the fireplace, stack it and properly cover it, and weight it down so the northerly winds don't blow the tarp off.

I have to store gasoline for my snow blower, check the seals on the windows, insulate them with double ply plastic, and buy a new snow shovel and ice scraper for the car windshield. I always seem to lose the last two every year.

Clothing is always on hand. One moment it can be a comfy 50 degrees and the next below zero. Things can change rather rapidly around here.

Images of my neck of the woods

These are pics from the other day. Take a look at the first. Can you believe how much work it would take if you had to rake up all the leaves when they fell before and during winter? I'd refuse the job.

How about a job here? Beautiful colors!

Here's a nice little pic from the smartphone. As you can see, we are in an area of rolling hills and mountains. It's a really cool area for hunting and fishing.

When you enter these woods, it's best to always have a rifle at the ready. You may run across a charging black bear or a wolf. Racoons aren't so mean but can be annoying.

And my favorite pic. You can catch fish here such as trout, sunfish, bass, catfish and more. In the summer you have to be on guard for mosquitoes, though.

If you've never visited upstate New York near Canada, it is different world up here. People mind their own business and live a life of serenity apart from the hustle and bustle of cities.

And if you do visit, don't be alarmed at the sound of gunfire. That's common here. So come on over or up - we're waiting to greet you southerners and foreigners warmly. And we'll share some fresh meat from the hunt, a bottle or nine of beer, and yes you can even borrow one of our guns or fishing poles.