Winter will soon be upon us, so it is very important to be pro-active in getting your home ready for cold weather.  Simple things you can do to keep your water pipes from freezing are detaching your garden hoses from the outside faucets, install foam faucet covers, cover open foundation vents and check for other foundation openings.  Some simple ways to insulate foundation vents are to custom cut foam sheets to tightly fit into the vent openings.  Or, loosely fill plastic bags with insulation (or leaves) and place the bag into the vent opening.  Be sure there are no gaps.  I hope these simple steps keep your under house pipes running freely and fozen free.