Friday was a dismal day, not only overcast, but a raging windy blasted through the atmosphere cutting a wide swath across the province, causing power outages everywhere. It felt, heading for the ravine for a walk, as though we had only to spread our wings and we'd be able to fly over the roofs of neighbourhood houses and the canopy of the wooded ravine. Venturing into a forested area when such an atmosphere prevails isn't the best of ideas, since harm comes to people in storm situations like that most often when trees are uprooted or cracked off and fall on them or on their vehicles.

We experienced nothing awry, although the shrieking wind made it seem as though one huge jet after another was preparing to land at our very feet. Alternately, the wind whipping through the trees took on the sound of a freight train crashing through the area. We did see the occasional fallen tree, but nothing spectacular; for the most part, deadheads that were ready to topple because they'd been long devoid of life and were well rotted.

Saturday was different; colder, still overcast, but winds gusting to a mere 20 mph or less. And, after our ravine walk we decided to remain outside, to use the opportunity between cold and gusty winds and more ferocious windstorms bringing snow as is inevitable at this time of year.

While my husband began the job of raking up needles from our large lawn pine tree, something he'd done earlier in the week, but which Friday's winds had made imperative once again; we could see no green grass, everything was thickly littered with orange needles; I finalized the emptying of all the garden pots of their soil.

The flowers had already been removed a week earlier. And it was time to dump the soil, to empty the urns and pots that decorate the property, so they can all be assembled and put away over-winter, under the deck in the backyard. Fall always presents us with these chores. Earlier in the day my husband had disconnected the gas barbecue and securely wrapped it for the winter. And he'd done the same for the air conditioner. Before that he had disassembled all of the outdoor lawn furniture and tucked it all away into the larger of the two garden sheds.

We finalized all of the last preparations for the onset of winter. Alas, looking outdoors to the gardens, front and back, is now a dismal sight. All the colour, texture and lively aspects of lustily growing things has been replaced by wan has-beens.

Leaves have been dropped, and bare branches prevail. Looking out now there are shades of the season to come.