Winter is not too far away

No, we do not have snow.....yet.....This is a photo from 2006 when we did have snow, a lot of it, I am making sure I am ready for whatever Mother Nature intends on throwing at us this year.
Yesterday it was a slightly breezy day, but warm, so I spent all day outside putting the summer furniture away, deadheaded the flowers which do not provide seeds for the birds, and most important of all, I drained the irrigation system, drained and rolled the hoses and put them away, and put away a whole lot of stuff which seemed to have found it's way under the carport. I also swept the pine needles from the front porch, which come from what was once a nice little potted Christmas tree. Many years ago, it was planted next to the steps up to the front door, and now towers over the front of the house, it looks nice but makes such a mess. As I swept around a potted plant, I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, and discovered a tiny garter snake trying to get out of the way of my advancing broom. I let it slither away down into the garden before finishing the sweeping. I like to have garter snakes in the garden, as they help in keeping the insect population down.
There are still a few things I want to get done before the weather really turns nasty, but they will have to wait for another day, as today, Sunday, I need to rest a little (my body is telling me I did too much yesterday) besides it is a damp gloomy day,a good one to curl up in a comfy chair with a good book.