TGood

Just a quick hint on defrosting the freezer that I have used that makes the job more enjoyable if that is possible....

After removing the contents of the freezer, I take pitchers of warm water and pour it along the sides to help melt the frost. I use a cake/pancake turner to help slide the frost off the sides. When all the frost and water is in the bottom I set a bucket in the bottom and take a freezer container with flat sides and scoop the frosty water into bucket. Lastly I wipe down the sides with a thirsty towel. I can speed up the defrosting process greatly using this method.

Best wishes on the defrosting!!

miriam

you mean the sounds of foul?

ThayerRags

(Those too.)

CD in Oklahoma

mojo11

What a great read. Thanks to you all contributing. Enjoyed.

ArchaicArcane

I think for me the outside smells are of caulking and paint as we prep the window and door frames for winter. It seems we do this about every 2 years. The smell of splitting wood and of woodstoves being started up. This was all last week up to the long weekend. The smell of "garage" as we change oil and tires for their winter counterparts and prep the 2 wheelers and summer yard equipment for their winter sleep. (hopefully not for a month more though!) I'm still trying to decide whether to start up the hot tub in the garage this year, so no chlorine smell yet. Hmm,.. I should get DH to look over the snowblower before it's needed this year instead of trying to start it for the first time after slogging through 2 ft of snow!

That reminds me. I think we need a new snow shovel. We used about 1/3 of one last year....

The sounds are chain saws and leaf blowers as people are clearing the leaves and finishing up the outside "honey do" list. Lawnmowers and weed whackers running for the last time before the snow. Weird, the lawn smell isn't traveling like it does in the summer. The garage sounds: air compressors and tools being dropped on the ground. Maybe a little cursing when I skin my knuckles trying to get to the oil change spots on my bike and wonder who the strong-girl was who put that oil filter on my bike in the spring. Oh yeah, it was me. The grunts and several groans as I try to get off the cold garage floor after the oil change. Most notably, the neighborhood is quieter with the kids in school, except the 3 times a day when the school bus stops in front of the house.

Inside it's chili or stew on the stove or in the crockpot. Bread baking, or even the smell of a sourdough proofing. No wonder it's tough to keep the weight off in the winter with all the comfort food! Especially since I start some of it in my studio while I work all day and am starved from smelling it! And there's a smell from the quilts that are permanently wrapped around me from September to March. Something clean and comforting and perhaps a little like furry quilt inspector.

Inside the most noticeable sounds are Lucey and I dancing again finally and my other sewing machines getting more exercise as I listen to an audiobook or some music to help me stay on task. The sound of my fingers on the keyboard - typing when I leave my task and pop up on the QB to see what's shakin'.

Last year, we didn't burn much but we've had one fire this year already and are thinking of it tonight too. Chili for dinner - dh just stepped out for a can or so of tomato something or other.

ArchaicArcane

Oh! How could I forget one other smell?!?! A cup of hot Market Spice tea beside me. It's my best friend in the fall and winter. Sometimes I substitute it for a cup of Earl Grey with coconut milk and pure Mexican vanilla too.

Quincunx

I smell the first rain of this year. It stinks badly. On top of the usual it has not rained for months dirt and dust that is getting wetted there is the smoke from the bad wildfire to our east. The winds blow west to east but the smoke hit the top of the valley and was held there. I saw the smoke pillar on Thursday. It was flat at the top worse than a mushroom cloud.