Winterizing

Well, it is nearly Thanksgiving and we KNOW that the snow is going to come and winter will be here for a few months.
Yesterday I blew the leaves to the street for pickup. I have been mowing them, but our big tree dumped all at once and it was too much for the mower. Usually, the leaf pickup ends the week of Thanksgiving so I hope they get them. I have seen people have piles of leaves on their curb all winter and it kills the lawns and the snowplows don't appreciate them.
I also have pulled up all the annuals by the roots, the tomato vines, and brought in the geraniums that I will baby over the winter. I have coiled up the hoses (after getting the gutters cleaned last week - by a handyman) and brought them to the basement. Leaving them out with water still in them is not a good idea as the water can freeze and break the faucets.
I have made sure that the outside lights are working - don't want to change them in the winter.
I have made sure that all outdoor furniture is brought inside to the basement or covered. I haven't covered the air conditioner but some people do. Any tools or equipment have been brought in and the garage is ready for the cars so we don't have to scrape windshields. The snowblower has been checked out and we will see if it lasts another winter. We have the snowshovels and some salt for sprinkling on the walk.
The car has a blanket, boots, & first aid kit in the trunk. We make sure that we don't let the gas get below 1/4 tank in the winter. We have checked the tires and had the oil changed. I also had each car waxed and made sure the windshield wiper fluid was filled and that we have more on hand.
When we come for Christmas, we will leave a drip from a faucet going in the basement so the pipes won't freeze. We will make sure not to leave the heat too low, cancel newspapers, make sure the neighbors (who have our key) know we are going, stop the mail and get our hometeacher to drive in and out of the driveway a few times if it snows so it looks like someone is here. We also have lights that are on a timer so that the house isn't always dark. (Last year, we had a spotlight on the house and it was on the timer - it blew a fuse and we lost the food in our freezer as it was on the same circuit.)
We have a house humidifier on the furnace and we have changed the filter. The furnace filter needs to be changed. Dad usually drains a bucket of water from the waterheater to get the sediment out. (There is a little faucet at the bottom of the heater.)
If you don't have a whole house humidifier, you need some portable ones in the bedrooms with clean filters (have to wash them out very often to get the scum off them). When you do the dishwasher, open and let the moisture out into the room instead of letting the dishes dry all the way. They will air dry quickly and you will get extra moisture in the air. If you have a lot of static electricity, you need more humidity in the air. You can even boil some water on the stove (make sure you don't let it boil dry) to get more moisture in the air.
Of course, the beds need to have more blankets on so that you can turn down the heat at night. This will help so the air doesn't dry out as quickly and save on heating costs. Get out the flannel pj's, slippers, sweaters, boots, mittens, scarves, hats and coats and make sure they are clean and have all the buttons/zippers (that work). Plan on meals that use the oven, bake lots of cookies and cakes, have hot cocoa on hand and lots of mini marshmallows. Maker sure you have candles, matches, flashlights & batteries, extra food, manual can opener - all the necessities in case the power goes out. Always keep the phones charged and have a charger that you can use in the car too so that you have a way to charge it if there is no power.
"if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"... It is good to know that you have done all that you can to prepare for emergencies. Happy Winter!