Friday, November 06, 2009

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.