So many "little things" I need to do

The weather this past week has reminded me that winter is fast approaching, and there are a lot of little things I've been putting off - some are new, some have been around a while, all really ought to be done before the weather really turns cold and the days become short. I just need a couple days all to myself, or with a dedicated assistant, to finish it off. Setting the date for the door install has made me even more anxious now. In no particular order (which is why I'm using <ul> instead of <ol>.

• Mow & fertilize the lawn
• Get new power run to the pantry light so that we don't have to keep doing laundry by flashlight
• Pull out the stove, remove some plaster, and insulate the wall behind it. Then cover with concrete backer board and slide the stove back in. Last winter, my toes froze while cooking because there's no insulation in that wall. I'll only go up about 3 feet from the floor with it, but it'll be an improvement.
• Take down some trees
• Put a glass block window in the hole in the foundation wall by the basement stairs. I have a styrofoam plug in it now where a window should be, but it's most definitely not airtight and drafts come into the kitchen from there.

The stove wall and glass block window, combined with the new door, should make the kitchen a lot warmer. I won't go so far as to say "cozy" because it's just not meant to be a "cozy" room, but at least our toes won't freeze.

We did buy a new mailbox and mounted it to the wall last weekend, instead of the old, small, rusting box we had sitting on a window ledge. The new mailbox looks great and is large enough to hold magazines & keep them protected. It even locks! Also put in some solar-powered lights next to the sidewalk, but I'm unimpressed so far. They won't get enough sunlight in the fall/winter to illuminate long enough into the night to be useful. We'll give them a few more days, maybe a week, then they're going to be returned I think.