December

As I sat down to the computer this morning, it was still dark. The silvery dime of a moon appeared in the upper right side of the window by my desk. Because the dark clouds were being chased away by morning winds, it looked like the moon was falling to the earth.

Of course, it was no such thing. Now that it's light, I see that the moon has maintained its position, although newly formed dark clouds periodically rise to cover it.

The landscape is decidedly December: brown trees and dark grey clouds overlaying a light grey sky.

It's coolish, but not terribly frigid. Yesterday it rained all day, today may be dry.

There is still much work to do inside and outside. I'm on a mission to clip all goat hooves and give booster shots and vitamins. I'm also repairing and washing goat collars, cleaning and sorting spaces and still working on that long job list. I'd better get to it.

First Week of November

'Taking stock:

We thoroughly pressure washed the maternity barn last weekend. It has a concrete floor which hadn't been washed in a couple of years. It's been swept many, many times, so it was surprising how much dirt came up.

It's stocked with bales of pine shavings and hay, clean old bath towels for catching and cleaning off newborns, vet meds in the refrigerator, and new packs of paper baby collars to keep track of when they are born and who their mothers are are in the cabinets along with a sharpie marker.

Mr. Buck Man has gone back home, so our big barn smells okay now.

Most of the red hot peppers have been dried, frozen, made into apricot/jalapeno jam, or given away to friends. One basket remains on the counter. There are still some hot peppers in the garden, but I'm ignoring them.

The chickens have been feasting on the last of the bell peppers and green squash.

It's getting down in the 30s at night and a coyote pack is howling and roaming at 4 a.m. each morning.

We sold off most of the bull calves on Monday. There are probably a couple of small babies, but they need to stay with their cow mamas. I sold one little one and had to listen to Dinky mourning all Monday night and part of Tuesday. I could hear her even with the windows closed.
She's calmed down now, but I'll never do it again. (I promise, Dinky.)

I hope her little fella is doing all right on his new farm. He went to friends.

I've done a lot of cleaning and sorting in the house. This is the time to do it -- before kidding season.

All the brown, limp squash and tomato vines are pulled out of the garden. There is still chard, kale, lettuce, beets, and turnips growing.

The propane tanks attached to the greenhouse are filled, but I'll try not to use propane until it is very cold.

The very long list on the white board has two major items crossed off. Ten more to go.

Last Week in October

The Fall colors are at their height now and this morning's 42 degrees feels crisp.

We've had some colder days and some hotter days and a little rain and wind in the last two.

On the farm, clean-up continues in the barns, the chicken house, and around the yards. The lawns are mowed for the last time this season. All the hay has been baled and put under cover. I'm feeding whatever freeze damaged vegetables are in the garden to the chickens.

In the houses, I am cleaning and sorting, too. The freezers are full enough to get us through without having to do a lot of driving in ice and snow this winter. After more than ten years since the last move, I've finally gotten down to the last parts for furniture, like teak book shelves and a corner computer desk which have been leaning up against a wall in the basement. Once these find their places and are put together, I'll be able to do a thorough cleaning and re-organization of the basement. Gee, it feels like I've just completed a giant jigsaw puzzle.

I had the propane tanks for the greenhouse filled to provide emergency heat if it gets too cold for the small electric heaters to keep the temperature above freezing. All the potted plants are tucked in, but there remains clean-up and organization for those days when it's raining or too cold to want to work outdoors.

We also maintain a little propane at the house in case the electricity goes out. For now, electric is cheaper than propane. I finally caught on last year, when we did not need to use propane at all, that the company was routinely charging us for delivery of propane, even when the tank was full. I don't know how many hundreds of dollars -- probably more than a thousand -- were charged for propane not delivered. Although I made a complaint to the Department that regulates utilities in Virginia, nothing could be done because the Propane Industry is unregulated in the State of Virginia!

As you can probably tell, that still burns me up.

At the time I had finally caught on (I'm slow, evidently, and too trusting) there was a series of articles in the Roanoke Times about similar problems that others were having. I think the State Legislature should be doing something about regulation, but am not aware if they are. So, for now I'm monitoring the gauges on the tanks which show only the percentage left inside. There is no system of reporting usage other than the initial ticket saying how many gallons they delivered. You must more or less know the capacity of the tanks and try to extrapolate from there.

So, I'm trying.

Ta ta.

October

The winds of Autumn showed up just as we changed seasons. I forgot how windy it gets up here after Summer's over. We had a little rain in-between hay harvests. Yesterday's efforts filled the big loft with square bales. There's one more cut field, which will be round-baled, because our old bodies could not take another round of picking up square bales and getting them up in a loft.

Other signs of Autumn: the neighbors are dumping buckets of black walnuts on their driveway to be run over by the pickup truck and hulled.

The local vineyards are picking grapes. I bought some Cabernet Franc yesterday and have already started in on them. The Chardonnay is bubbling along nicely and the Blackberry Wine is almost ready to be bottled.

It's nice and chilly in the mornings and the leaves are just beginning to turn. Yesterday, I watched about twenty five Canada geese fly over the house on their way to somewhere.

Red sweet and hot peppers await processing in the kitchen and the cooler is full of Hubbard squashes and grapes.

I've made some progress in the old house, lugging furniture and accessories out of our basement to furnish it. Windows are getting washed in both houses and we have some plans for improvements on the farm.

I have the impression that we are beginning the preparations for a long, cold winter. Today, I'll begin to clean out the greenhouse and from now until frost, I'll be loading the Mule with plants that have summered on the porches to transport them down the hill to the greenhouse.
-------------------------
Thought for the day: "Be Yourself; everyone else is already taken." Oscar Wilde

September

We have come to the season of beautiful sunsets and sunrises. I seem to be up to see both each day. They are changeable and beautiful, giving my brain the message to step back and just look and appreciate.

The temperatures have cooled down. We've had cloudy skies for days, but no rain on our farm.

I'm picking mixed salad greens, hot and sweet peppers, tomatoes, a very few summer squashes and amazing winter squashes. A brave watermelon plant decided to begin growing a couple of weeks ago and there are actually watermelons on the vine. The fig tree has recovered from a late frost and little green figs hang on the branches. Will these fruits make it before the first frost? Stay tuned.

There's been a little time to begin cutting down the gigantic weedy poke and brambles that have invaded the lawn areas. The goats have finished their breeding season, as far as I can see. It's time for Mr. Buckman to go back home.

I've already started cleaning out the Maternity Barn and stocking it with hay and pine shavings for the kidding season in the winter. There are ambitious plans for cleaning out all barns and outbuildings before winter. Will we make it? Stay tuned.

There's actually a long list of "to do" jobs on the white board. We'll just chug along and do what we can. That's what September brings.

Caniculares Dies

The dog days are here. We've had a pretty good summer, with abundant rain and relatively low temperatures, but right now it feels like it's blazing hot during the day. It's not conducive to heavy physical labor. The sun is coming up later in the morning and I think I'm seeing Sirius* before dawn.

Some of the cows have gone camping under the large shady trees. They only come up for a drink of water when necessary. There is an army of little calves. They saunter up with their mothers and look at me over their shoulders as they leave.

Still, I have Late Summer Cleaning Syndrome. I guess not everyone gets it. It is a reaction to the things that had to be ignored during the intensive gardening and harvesting/processing of the summer. Now, I'm determined to catch up and the heat is an excuse to work inside the house during the day.

Early, I'll go out and attend to the animals and vegetables and fruit. Yesterday morning, I cleaned out three chicken coops without ever intending to do it. As soon as it cools off a little, I'll get into the flower beds and do some serious weeding.

There are still berries to pick. I've picked and processed the peaches and pears. One tree is full of small white apricots or peaches. I'm not sure which. But they are still hard and unripe. Red raspberries and a few asparagus are coming again.

Zucchini are still producing, as are pole beans. Winter squash are coming on bigtime. Tomatoes are starting to ripen and peppers have just begun to get red. I pulled out the bush beans and fed the plants to the chickens. Beautiful lettuces and other greens are up and looking like they'll provide for nice salads in the month to come. Beets will need pulling.

The drunken July bugs were much decreased this year and only bombed the roof once for a few hours. I find one or two in the blackberries. Large flocks of birds are resident. I don't remember seeing them in the past few summers, so I wonder if there's a connection.

Today, I'll try to get organized with herb collection and processing. 'Time I got started.

*The Dog Star

The Pumpkins Have Wanderlust

This is a picture of the infamous plastic garden on August 1st. As you can see, the Seminole squash is trying to escape. As of today, three days later, there are a couple of vines which have made it all the way into the driveway and some trying to get over the fence on the side of the bed.

For those skeptics out there who saw the garden in early Spring, you can also see that stuff actually grew! It was looking a little sparse, as I left room for the inevitable expansion of squash plants.

The cucumbers and beans have been producing prodigious amounts. Baskets, bags, and buckets of produce is going out into the kitchen every day to be rinsed and refrigerated. Peppers are on the plants, as are tomatoes. Beets are being pulled weekly. Some Seminole winter squashes are ready to be harvested. I'll take a few to market on Saturday.

I'm still picking wild blackberries. The thornless are also getting ripe. Red raspberries have re-appeared. A big crate of peaches is on the counter in the kitchen waiting for processing and wine is bubbling in the basement. I've threatened to make cucumber wine, but so far have only made jars and jars of bread & butter pickles.

For some reason, I'm having good luck with summer squashes this year. I think its the weather and the rain.

So, if you don't hear from me for several weeks at a time, at least you know I'm too busy to get into much trouble.

Ta ta.

Harvesting

This has got to be a quick post. There is much work to do during this time of year and not enough hours in the long days to do it in.

Blackberries are producing so I pick early in the morning every other day, picking enough so that I can continue the winemaking on a daily basis. On alternate days, I pick beans, cucumbers, and squash and wash and package them for marketing. Tomatoes and peppers have begun to develop on the plants, as well as winter squashes. I harvested mini blue hubbard squashes already and fed the vines to the chickens.

Of course, the animal chores must be done daily and herbs picked and dried, some attempt at yardwork and maintenance, eggs need to be gathered -- and a little baking for market -- pickling and preserving -- keep the house(s) fairly neat -- buy supplies occasionally -- well, you see how it is. 'Not much time to chat, much less sleep.

But that's the way the seasons go, and Winter will make up for Summer's hustle bustle. I am thankful that we are getting some rain this Summer and that the temperatures are not as high as last year.

Planting Days

It is cool and rainy until tomorrow, when we expect the heat back. I am planting intensively, trying to clear out the seedlings in the greenhouse.

Since Saturday, I've had some visits from friends bearing plants. My plan to restrict my pepper planting to two types has been quashed. Last night, I tucked pepper plants into beds until it was too dark to see. There are at least six types of peppers that will grow in the plastic garden this summer.

Nearly all the tomato seedlings have been planted. Squashes are coming up. Beans are flowering, and little cucumbers are formed. I can see the beets have begun forming. Chinese greens are big enough to harvest, as is spinach.

The plastic garden liveth!

In the meantime, red and black raspberries are ripening and need to be picked daily. Plums have begun to ripen.

There's a new batch of tiny chicks under a tiny chicken and a brand new calf in the pasture.

There is not enough time in a day to do everything that needs to be done on the farm.

Here Kitty, Kitty...

When we Americans reference a "sitting duck" we are speaking of someone who is vulnerable. The correct term is probably "sEtting duck" and has its origins in the agricultural understanding that most fowl will set on their nests for the 21, 28, or 31 days necessary to hatch young.

Setting fowl will bear with heat, cold, rain, lack of food and water in order to incubate those eggs! They also have to fight off wild predators of all kinds which are trying to get their eggs or newly hatched young. I've seen some pretty tough mamas, willing to fight literally to the death to protect their young.

Last night, my husband walked in to just such a scenario in the goose house.

Every evening, we feed the geese and close them up for the night. Yesterday, there was a black cat attacking a setting goose in order to get her goslings. The goose was killed.

Now, when it is a fox you know that it is probably going to feed its kits with the livestock or fowl it kills. I know that cat wasn't particularly hungry, nor was it going to feed its young. It, like skunks and possum, just enjoys killing newly hatched birds and fowl.

Geese are lovely animals with tons of personality. Sure, I know that cats can be lovable pets as well. I don't dislike them. We tolerate neighbors' cats in our barns and fields. However, I sure wish they'd be aware of the destruction cats can do to songbirds and poultry and waterfowl. I wish they'd keep them inside their homes so that they can enjoy their company without endangering our livestock.

I'm not shy to tell dog owners to keep dogs away from our goats. There are clearcut laws regarding the killing of livestock by dogs. Of course, the first thing I hear is that "Fluffy would never hurt a flea" or some such. Every year, goats are run and killed by packs of Fluffies who are just doing what nature dictates.

Is it time to make laws that will impose a financial penalty on cat owners as well?