Harvest Moon

It's the Autumnal Equinox.  Equal daylight and darkness in a 24 hour period everywhere around the world.    The Harvest moon is the full moon closest to the equinox.  I read that farmers utilized the light of the full moon to complete their harvest.  My father told me when he was a kid in Maine, they didn't go to school for part of September because everyone had to help harvest the potatoes.  Can you imagine if we had to gather all the food and fuel we needed in the Fall to get us through the winter?  It amazes me that not long ago, the folks who settled hear had to clear land, build a house, cut firewood, grow, kill and gather food by mid November or it was a very, very, long, cold and hungry winter. Thankfully teens were not distracted by texting or facebook back then because all able hands must have had to pitch in.  What a life of luxury we are living now.  Hmmmm.....
Even though we don't have to stock up on everything to prepare for the colder months, what do you need to prepare yourself for Winter?  We have about 6 weeks before the cold sets in.  I know I need to feel thankful for a gloriously warm Summer, enjoy the beauty and crisp, clear days of Fall, and finally, about Thanksgiving, embrace the cold.  How about you?