Getting leaves away from the Snow Stake to be prepared for snow.

Getting leaves away from the Snow Stake to be prepared for snow.

Busy...busy...busy.. This getting ready for winter stuff is a full time job!

It has been a busy week around the inn as we get everything ready for winter in Killington. Twig Season, being dull and gray, is conducive to getting work done. The warm blue sky of summer, just perfect for chasing little white balls down green fairways, has given way to a damp and dismal atmosphere just perfect for raking leaves, moving wood, hard-packing the driveway, and attending to the other items that need to be done before the first winter snows hit in earnest.

While I have picked up my ski passes (both downhill and uphill traveller), we have not yet had the urge to venture out onto the high slopes of Killington. From 18 years experience at the inn, we know spending time during twig season getting the inn in shape for winter will pay back with huge dividends in free time later in the winter when ski conditions will be prime. So we head outside, face the dull gray atmosphere, hold our faces firm into the light drizzle, and do what needs to be done to prepare for winter.

We have all been doing our share outside. Mary has brought down all of her gardens. She spends so much time on them each summer to make sure they make the grounds around the inn look beautiful. Now they are mounds of dirt, waiting to be covered by the first winter snows.

Chef "Frizzie" has been running the brush cutter. Most of his time has been spent on the Killington Road trimming the ferns which take over the hillside in summer. We try to trim them this time of year so that the area is receptive to early snow storms.

I have been out with my rake cleaning up parts of the front of the inn, and readying the Snow Stake. All of the leaves have been removed from around it. The height markers have been touched up to help make them visible for the camera. The stake has also been re-leveled and re-zero'd in the ground.

I also took apart the snowblower to get it ready for it's annual work out. In addition to changing the oil, I also stripped the gearbox; re-lubricating the works in the process to keep it running smoothly.

Mary was not around when I got everything back together. It is hard to see if it is really working right, as the works are in the front of the machine, and the operator, your's truly, is in the back. Not to be denied, however, I used my trusty Iphone to shoot a short clip reminiscent of a scene from the cult movie "Lawnmower man". Now I just need about 2 feet of snow to play with to really make sure it is working...

Winter is in the way. Let it snow!