It’s time to batten down the hatches, apparently.

There’s a crisp chill in the air these days, especially after the sun goes down. Leaves are changes colors and falling to the ground. Geese are honking loudly as they pass by overhead, making their way south for the winter.

All these signs of fall seem to have inspired my husband, Mike. He has been “nesting” — for lack of a better term — over the past week or so.

On his day off earlier this week, I arrived home from work to discover that he had been hard at work preparing our home for colder temperatures. Windows had been washed and insulated. He had repaired and replaced some of the mechanisms so that they will close more tightly. He removed air conditions from windows as well. And he didn’t stop there.

Space heaters that I hadn’t seen in months suddenly appeared, cleaned up and ready to run if needed. Lap blankets, throws and shawls that we often grab when temperatures drop made their way out of our closets and ended up draped over sofas and hall trees.

His efforts weren’t limited to the great indoors, either. Mike spent an entire afternoon cleaning up his car and getting it ready for winter weather. He emptied it of unnecessary items that had become fixtures in the backseat. He made sure he had jumper cables, ice scrapers, an air compressor, tools and other basic auto supplies on board.

One evening, he even fired up the furnace for the first time this season to make sure it would be in good working order when we really need it. (And I suspect he just wanted to warm up the house.)

He washed the windows and treated them with an anti-fog product. He also cleaned the seats and other surfaces, swept the carpets and scrubbed the floor mats.

Basically, he made sure he was ready to roll through ice and snow and that we would have a warm, comfortable shelter to take refuge in once the snow starts to fly.

I truly appreciate his efforts. It’s reassuring to know that we are ready for what’s coming.

We still have a few odds and ends to complete (including installation of two more basement windows), but we are substantially prepared for colder weather.

You may not want to think about winter weather just yet, but it’s better to get ready now than to get caught unprepared. What’s on your to-do list? Have you even made one yet?

It’s fall, y’all. Enjoy the season, but take the opportunity to get ready for what’s next.