Snow season is here!

First off, I’ll list my contact info for you:

phone number is 993-3914

post box 1338

joe_cooke@hotmail.com

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We are heading into the snowy weather, and this is the time of year to do a winter prep checklist. Here are a few ideas, and a few ways I can help with making sure your property is ready for winter:

- Have you made arrangements for snow removal for your residence, rental property, or business? If not, please call me and I would be happy to help on either a contract basis for the whole season, or just occasional call outs if needed.

- Do a check of trees on your property. Dead trees that are overhanging buildings, fences, driveways, or other danger areas should be removed in a controlled fashion. Trees with dead branches that may have been ok during the summer months are more likely to come down during the winter with the extra weight of snow build-up.

- Do you have a good supply of de-icer or sand available to spread on your steps as for traction? If not, add it to your grocery list!

- Bring in the lawn mower and treat your mower to an end of season tune up. Change the oil and sharpen the blade so it will be ready for next spring. Either completely empty the gasoline (don’t forget the carburator float bowl) or add a fuel stabilizer and store with a full tank. Fuel stabilizer the is sold for motorcycles will work fine.

- I like to coat all of my wooden tool handles with boiled linseed oil at this time of year. The oil will protect your shovel handles, rakes, axes, and so on from drying out and splintering. This will help make the handle last longer, and you get fewer slivers in your hands next year.

- If you are dooing your own snow removal, check the condition of your snow shovel. Some of the cheaper plastic ones have a small strip of metal at the end of the blade that wears out, and can’t really be resharpened effectively.

- Sharpen blades on other pruning tools too: secateurs, hedge trimmers, etc. will all benefit from a touch up on the grinding stone. Apply a light coat of oil to prevent rust.

- We may get lucky and still have a couple of warm days that we can use to plants bulbs for the spring. Think tulips, and don’t forget to put a little compost at the bottom of the hole.  Some chicken wire will usually do the trick to protect against theft by enterprising squirrels.

- Chainsaws: If you have a chainsaw around the house, this is a good time of year to check the air filter, and give the saw a good once-over. I take my saws apart and remove build up with an old toothbrush. Check the condition of your chain too; they can only be resharpened so many times before they need to be replaced. Broken chisel teeth are a sure indicator that you should replace your chain.

- That’s about it for now. Thanks for checking out my website. – Joe