I admire the folks who took advantage of those few nice days to put up their outside lights and decorations. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. You would think it makes sense to take advantage of 60-degree temperatures to put up your lights. But no, some of us wait until the northwest winds start to blow and temperatures fall into the 20s before we become inspired to do these outside chores. Maybe someday we will learn.

One of these days, the big freeze will arrive. So far, we've not had any freezing weather. We've had some frosts, but nothing that lasted for several days.

However, many farmers may be wishing the soil would freeze. Their harvest has been plagued by huge amounts of rainfall this fall which created extremely muddy conditions. In addition, moisture levels are quite high in corn, causing excessive drying delays along with backups at local elevators. Frankly, some freezing weather would be helpful for farmers.

However, since freezing temperatures have not yet arrived, let me remind you of a few chores you need to complete before those temperatures drop.

Now is the time to:

* Be sure to drain all outside hoses.

* Bring nozzles and sprayers into a warm storage area.

* Drain water out of any high-pressure sprayers.

* Remove any paint, chemicals and items that may freeze from unheated garages and storage sheds.

* Last chance to dig up those geraniums you want to save from freezing.

* Have your fireplace and chimney inspected.

* Check antifreeze in vehicles.

* Plant spring flowering bulbs before the soil freezes. You may have to "mud them in" because the soil is so wet.

* Store any grass seed in a sealed container where mice cannot enter.

* Put out mouse bait in unheated storage areas.

* And put out traps in your home.

* Stock up on bird feed and begin feeding your feathered friends.

* Start and run your standby generator.

* Do the same with your snow blower.

* Put your winter survival kit in your automobile.

* Save some leaves to mulch around your roses, but don't apply them until after it freezes.

* Finish last-minute cleanup of any garden or flower debris.

* Dig a hole now if you want to plant a live Christmas tree.

* Start preparing for the Christmas season.

Calls of the week

From a friend - " Last week's column about your Thanksgiving traditions was your best ever."

From another friend - " It brought tears to my eyes."

From several readers - Expressing their appreciation for the column

My thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement.

Stuart Hawbaker can be reached at hrnews@herald-review.com.