There Arose Such a Clatter

I rose from my bed to see what was the matter.  It turned out to be the pitter patter of hundreds of little birdie feets on the roof!  They rose en masse to fly away to the big oak trees in the pasture behind our house.

Large flocks have been coming through on their way to somewhere or other ahead of the winter storms.  I am grateful that we have places for them to rest, eat and shelter.  During the recent rain, robins splashed in the freezing puddles on the gravel driveway.  They seemed happy about it all.

Bitter Cold

Today's weather had me searching for a pair of electric gloves online.  My fingers actually hurt, even long after I came back in after doing the morning chores.  Tonight it will snow/rain/freeze, making for a lively time tomorrow morning.

To be sure, I hadn't worn the usual two pairs of gloves with the hand warmer tucked in-between.  That will change while I'm waiting for my electric gloves to materialize.

We've moved the cows back to a field which still had some grass growing.  I get a thrill when I open the gate, call "Hey, cowie cowie!" and thirty cows come running. 

I finished putting plastic on the chicken house windows to make it a little more cozy.  Chickens seem able to withstand very cold temperatures.  I also plugged in the electric water bowls so that they have something to drink.

We have lists of indoor jobs to do during bad weather, but we've still got to take care of the basic needs of our flocks.

November

This morning, I changed the beds to flannel sheets in anticipation of a couple of nights in the 20s.  We'll get a few snow flurries this afternoon and evening, but no accumulation.  I'm happy about the no accumulation part.

The fig tree looks sad since its crispy brown leaves were blown away.  Ornamental Bradford Pear and Japanese Maples still hold leaves and color.  I now realize why Bradford Pear is used so much in landscape.  It is the first to flower in the Spring and among the last to lose leaves in Autumn.

I've located the electric stapler and am planning on starting the process of putting the plastic over the chicken house windows a little at a time.  Time to check goat supplies and meds and begin stocking pine shavings and square bales in the Maternity barn.

Embarrassment of Riches

It is cold and crisp this morning, but I'm not sure we hit the freezing mark as predicted.

Yesterday morning, I picked all the tender vegetables which could have been harmed by frost.  This included nice lettuces, eggplants, cucumbers, and lots of green peppers.  In fact, there ended up being two big bags of peppers. 

I spent much of the rest of the day rinsing, seeding, cutting. roasting, peeling, chopping, and putting roasted pepper strips into freezer containers.

I am a squirrel, saving nuts for Winter at much expense of effort and time.

I'm in the middle of transferring warm clothing for light Summer stuff.  It gives a chance to find all the treasures which fill my dresser drawers.  I washed a load of sweaters so that I can enjoy the nice, clean smell and soft warmth.

Today, I'll look around the vegetable garden for tools to be stored in the shed and continue trying to clean up other garden areas which have been overtaken by pokeweed and tree of paradise.

October

We're told by the weather people that Autumn-like weather will blow in later today.  Still, it won't be very cold until at least next week.

The leaves are changing subtly this year.

The tomato supply is dwindling.  I'll probably roast the last ones today.

All houseplants are tucked into the greenhouse, which has been cleaned and reorganized -- except for the two cool sections.  That will be work for rainy days.

Wine needs to be transferred to carboys.

The big barn needs regular rakings. 

Gardens need to be weeded.

I should be busy, busy for the foreseeable future.

Cool at Last

Although the leaves haven't yet turned, we are experiencing lower humidity and cool mornings.  Yesterday I hauled three loads of manure and dumped it in low spots on the farm.  I've raked stalls and will try to keep up as long as I can.

Every two days, I pick figs for the roosters and tomatoes and peppers for us.  The roosters are getting fat, but there are fewer and fewer figs ripening because of the moderating temperatures. 

Huge baskets of tomatoes fill my kitchen counters.  When it is no longer possible to ignore the tomatoes, I roast them in the oven along with peppers.  When cooled, I skin them and put them through the food mill to make sauce.  Sometimes I can the sauce and sometimes I make chili con carne.  Freezer space is at a premium, but we will have some nice meals when the snow is on the ground.  All the pear pies I froze are going to be a special treat.

Our hunting cabin is nearly completely remodeled.  The leftover bamboo flooring from our house just covered the old floor, with just four planks unused.  I managed to paint all the walls and am working on repairing and painting odds and ends of furniture.  There were some nice rugs and a storage unit which I bought at yard sales, and it's really shaping up nicely.

We will finish up the rainwater collection system, as there is no source of water or electricity.  A gas generator allows me to run the vacuum cleaner occasionally and I've acquired all sorts of battery and solar-powered lighting along with oil lamps for lighting.  It is a fun project and enjoyable now that I can breathe and move without so much effort.

Here Comes the Rain Again: September First

"Here comes the rain again
Falling on my head like a memory
Falling on my head like a new emotion..." The Eurythmics

August came and went, alternately rainy, steamy, then briefly pleasant with lower humidity.  It was the most comfortable of all the uncomfortable Virginia Augusts of the past fifteen years.

The pond and hayfields are back to normal for the most part.  Gangs of wild turkeys gather each morning and early evening to feed on something in the field.  They've been strolling around the farm every day since the big rains began in June and July.  I know some hunters who are waiting eagerly for the first day of turkey season.

This weird summer I saw twin fawns still wobbly on their feet and too newborn to have developed a fear of humans.  (That is very newborn for deer.)

On each of the low humidity days -- there were a few -- I frantically raked the goat barn, knowing that this would be unbearable in the moist heat.  I didn't quite clean it out, but I'm making headway.  We are promised better temperatures in a few days and I vow to return to the task in earnest.  The flooding has left the barn wetter than it has ever been and I'll have to sprinkle lime to dry out parts of the floor.

Our Spring chicks have developed into hens and roosters.  Small eggs, many green and blue, are appearing in the nest boxes.  The adolescent males are obnoxious and reduce egg laying.  They create scenes of mayhem, chasing old hens and young hens.  They're being relegated to a couple of coops to cool their heels.  Unfortunately, they will soon be soup.

 

The Corn is as High as An Elephant's Eye

Yes, corn is doing very well this year as evidenced by fields all around.  Tomatoes are also having a bang up year.  They have planted themselves all over my vegetable garden, in ditches along the driveway, and at the entrance to our porch.

On the other hand, cucumbers (MY cucumbers) have done nothing of note.  I'm resigned to buying them in the supermarket.  The second planting of golden arrow zucchini is producing and the eggplant makes beautiful little long purple fruits.  Peppers are out of proportion to their leaves, but I'm waiting for them to turn red.

Blackberries are finally getting plump and ripe.  Unfortunately, the heat and humidity and the flooding make accessing them a bit problematic.  I find myself having to devise a land route to get to high places.  Our pond is more than twice its normal area.  The geese and ducks have been flooded out of their houses.  We opened the gate to the pond and they are using part of the hayfield for drying out and lounging.  This is especially ironic because last Fall we had to bring a hose down to the pond to deliver well water for them.  We could see the bottom of the pond and it was dry!  It has rained nearly every day of June and July.

The weather has also affected some insect life cycles:   so far, NO June/July bugs in the blackberries!  If they return to get drunk on overripe berries we may have to call them August bugs.  'Don't know.  Will report back.  I will miss their drunken carousing.

Making hay has been a nightmare.  Just when we have a couple of rainless days and cutting and raking are progressing, a sudden storm crops up, making all soggy and stopping the baling.  This first harvest will not be very good, assuming it gets under cover.  Maybe there will be a second cutting later on.  Grass is growing very well.

Pears hang heavy on the trees.  I'm hoping they can ripen before the birds attack them.

The Young Virginia Creepers

Yep.  They're hugging the beejeepers out of all the crops growing on fences and on the ground.  Because it's June?  Well, yes.  This is the time for all toxic plants and bugs to emerge to temper the beauty and moderate temperatures which abound in late Spring.

The weather has been touchy.  As soon as some hay was cut, the rain, despite a "slight chance of showers" fell in buckets and rained out the raking and baling.  Neighbors all around the area have nicely baled hay sitting out in the intermittent rains and getting damaged.  Ours is just going to wait until a few dry days in a row before tedding and raking.  Thank goodness only a small field was cut.

Last night, the goats were "missing" and I had to go and see where they might be.  I drove through high grass and eventually walked up and down the hills, feeling that I was in alien territory, perhaps on another planet altogether.  It was impossible to see ahead to look for holes and stumbling places.  I finally located them, all in a tight bunch.  They just decided to camp out for the night, forgoing their grain rations.  This morning, they are close to the gate near the house, being quiet and as good as gold.  All 98 of them.

In the vegetable garden little golden zucchinis are on the bushes.  It will only be a couple of days before I can pick some.  Tomatoes have formed on the plants I put out early and new seedlings are introduced every chance I get.  Spinach and asparagus await dinners in the refrigerator.  Lettuces have been cut and cut again.  Black raspberries are developing and will soon turn color and blueberries as well.

Pomp and Circumstance

 

The geese are obviously impressed at the flotilla of six former ducklings in their shiny new white suits.  They are being led around the pond by their little "Mother" mallard, who doesn't seem to notice that they are twice her size and a totally different color.  All she knows is that they are ducks, because if it quacks like a duck...  If you click on the picture above, you'll get a little clearer image.

 

The ducks graduated from the chicken house recently to the relief of the chickens, who now have a nicer, dryer, better smelling house.

 

The ducks have always been drawn to water, but never had so much to play in!  It is hard to get them to come in to dry land, but they'll get hungry soon.  I had to wait for the water in the pond to recede to more normal levels before taking them out there.

 

The chicks have also graduated out of their coop and into the Wide World of Chickens.  Pecking order is being established and the guineas are being bullies to be avoided at all costs.

 

The grass is high and will need to be hayed soon.  Vegetables are really developing quickly in this optimal weather.  It's been cool again for the past few days and I got a lot of physical work done.