Trina Machacek: The rolling of the hoses

Fall is falling all around the country. Every year is the same. Every year is different. Every year there is something special to enjoy and probably fear, just a little bit. But! Yes, an annually changing “but.” Every year brings something new to the table of life. We just have to learn to see it coming and either embrace it or get out of the way of things we can’t fix or change.

Yes, fall is falling, and we have to get out our catcher’s mitts to catch what the world throws our way. If that all sounds so ominous, I don’t mean it to be. Look at it as if you get to do some wonderful things. Of course, there is hunting. Hunting is a big fall event. You can feel the – let’s see what the right PC word would be here? Oh, the heck with PC (political correctness).

There is a definite excitement for the fall hunting season in the air. Soon freezers will be filled with winter meat and there will be hundreds of pounds of jerky being dehydrated and jerked. Oh, I have a funny story about a dehydrator I borrowed from a neighbor about 35 years ago.

I wanted to make beef jerky and was looking to borrow a dehydrator. A couple who lived a little north of me had a few and the woman offered to let me use one of theirs. Cool. She brought it over in the original box and I set it in my office until that evening when I took it into my house. I thought I should learn about it before I got ready to jerk my rump roast, so I opened the box in my kitchen.

Well let me just say that because of my youthful upbringing I had occasionally been introduced to someone called “Mary Jane,” aka marijuana. As soon as I opened the box, I knew exactly what my neighbors had used the dehydrator for. Those who lived in my neck of the woods back then will, no doubt, remember the couple of whom I speak. Oh my, that was the best beef jerky I ever made! Moving on…

Back to the events of fall. Today, because last night was a bit chilly coming in at 26 degrees, I decided it was time to pick up and put away the hoses I use all summer to water my lawn. This isn’t something I celebrate. But since there was the most beautiful ice sculpture under my watering sprinklers this morning it was time to put my lawn to bed.

I was going from water hydrant to water hydrant, unhooking hoses, draining each and rolling them up for storage, counting on my fingers, October, November, December, January, February and most all of March. Nearly six whole months until hope will again SPRING eternal. SIX MONTHS! The past six months went way too fast for me. I love summer and contrary to popular belief I don’t actually hate winter. I just love summer more.

The week was pushing me to this job. Just a few days ago I winterized my swamp cooler and moved it out of the window where it blows cooling throughout my house during my lovely summertime. That had to be done because overnight three nights ago I woke up and the cold air coming in my house, through the non-restricted fins of the cooler, caused an extra blanket to appear at 3 a.m. So, I knew the hose activity was not far off.

Oh, sure I could have waited and hoped for just a few more days of watering. According to the white dusting of sugar on top of the mountain out my windows, snow has arrived up there. Could it be far behind to the lowlands of my yard? So instead of waiting until I needed to wear my mukluks to roll up those hoses, after they freeze full of water, I opted to work smarter not harder. Not something I tend to do all the time.

Next step is yet to be decided upon. Mow once more or not. It’s longer than the weekly few of inches tall. I go through this each year. To leave a lawn long for winter or mow it and see it all trimmed at the end of summer and short during winter.

I will, as I always do. Flip a coin in a few days. I find letting fate make a decision every so often is a good omen. I just have to forget that one line I hear in my head at a coin flip. “Heads I win. Tails you lose.” Truly it’s a wonder I ever get anything done!

Trina Machacek lives in Diamond Valley, north of Eureka. Her books are available through her website www.theeurekacountystar.com and itybytrina@yahoo.com.