As the daylight lessens in the northern hemisphere and the leaves change colors, it is once again time to start looking forward to the holiday season.  Halloween is over, Christmas shopping season is starting.  Thanksgiving is lost in the middle.  More on that on another day. The weather is changing also.  Harvest time has passed for most crops.  Rural folks are making sure they have the heating oil and wood they need for the winter.  Urbanites are turning on their furnaces and calling landlords/repairmen if needed. We should all start preparing for the cold of winter.  Ensure your car is ready for the weather in your area.  Are the tires properly inflated?  Does your heater work?  How’s your battery doing?  Do you have a blanket in the car where you can reach it without getting out of the car?  (The trunk is fine if you can get to it there.)  It is best to think about these things before there is cold weather than to wait and forget them till they are needed and it’s too late.