Sure, the days were getting short and shorter and we’d had a couple of hard frosts and a few not-so-hard, but I couldn’t take approaching winter seriously as long as daytime temperatures were in the 60s (F) and people were running around in shorts and T-shirts. According to the calendar, December was getting closer, but I hadn’t done any of the things I usually do in early to mid November.

Nighty-night, dinghy garden

Contrary to James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James,” the first of December wasn’t “covered with snow,” but the temp did take a dive from 60s to something close to seasonal. I snapped to it. First I pulled up the frost-blasted tomato and basil plants and put the garden to bed.

Blow, blow, thou winter wind: my storm door's up

How could I possibly remove the screen from the storm door when the main door was often open — and there were still a few hardy mosquitos and flies buzzing about?

When winter snapped, I finally got to it. The cold-weather insert is now in place.

My cold-weather companion — who for an Alaskan malamute seems to be an unusually indoor dog — is often on draft-dodger duty, sometimes inside the door and sometimes out-.

The last pre-winter prep was to put flannel sheets on my bed. I put this off partly because it was so warm and partly because I flip the mattress at the changing of the season, lightweight sheets to flannel and vice versa. The mattress is bulky, the space is tight, and I always manage to knock something over; hence I procrastinate. I had an additional incentive this year, though: the cool (OK, warm) fleece blanket I won in the Camp N Pack raffle in early October. Now my bed is ready for winter. Last night wasn’t even a one-dog night, but my one dog didn’t realize that. Between the flannel sheets, the fleece blanket, and Travvy, I might have been sleeping in the tropics.

On the first of December I also donned the first longjohns of the season. It’s a known fact that winter can be hastened and worsened by the premature wearing of longjohns, but once December 1 rolls around you don’t have to worry about that. Winter is on the way no matter what you put on in the morning.

Travvy draft-dodger