A few items to take care of before the winter hits.
Check your gutters and roofSince it's not at eye level you may not have thought about your roof lately. Take a few minutes next time you're outside to look carefully at what you can see of your roof and gutters (use binoculars if you have them). Is the flashing in tact? Any damage from debris? Gutters should be cleaned twice a year (usually in the fall and spring).
Feel a draft?
Homes can loose a lot of heat in the winter from small leaks around doors and windows. Use the back of your hand (or even your face) to feel around these areas for any air movement, and stop up the gaps with weatherstripping.
Inspect your walkways
Make a special stroll down your homes exterior walkways looking for cracks or loose stones. Repair those now to help prevent falling accidents when things get slippery this winter.
Prepare your fireplace
Now is a good time to have your chimney cleaned if you've been putting it off. As far as I know there is not a good rule to follow regarding how often one should have a chimney cleaned, but if you have even 1/8 of an inch of build up you need to have it done soon. When in doubt please er on the side of caution when dealing with fire.
And after all that, if you're looking for ideas for actual FUN activities this the fall check out http://fall.virginia.org/ for a ton of ideas from the VA tourism authority!
