This year we seem to be so organised we keep checking to see if there is something we have forgotten! The garden is finished except for the brussels sprouts, the first freeze brought an end to the tomatoes and, although it was a strange year for tomatoes, we are satisfied. Several dozen jars of pasta sauce, salsa and tomato paste will see us through to next season as well as some jars to share at Christmas. The last of the beans have been dried and stored, with just a few, that were still green, being canned. The basement shelves have been filled with canned goods, the potato bin, while not full, has more than enough to allow us to indulge until next season. The freezers are almost full, yet we have room for the goat we plan to butcher when he is a little bigger. We have dried onions, pickled onions, pickled cucumbers, frozen beets as well as pickled beets. We have enough produce to last us till next year and beyond and we will only have to buy the extras that we do not grow or raise ourselves. We are still milking Daisy and are using it to make cheese and ice cream, we will stockpile the latter for our winter indulgence.
The wood pile is looking healthy and we have time to cut and split more within the next month. The first of our hay supply has been delivered and floats have been removed from the water tanks. The list seemed endless as autumn began, yet we have more items on the 'to do' list ticked off than waiting to be done.
We always plan to put the bucks in with the ewes at the beginning of November as we do not have ideal facilities for lambing or kidding in the middle of winter. Yet we had our first lambs on Christmas Day one year, so our plans are not necessarily agreed upon with the males on the place. When all goes to plan we give the ewes extra feed 2 weeks before introducing them to the bucks, also known as flushing them. All summer the ewes share a pasture with the horses so we needed to seperate them or we would have fat(ter) horses. We needed to build fence.
I have always believed that the best cure for aching muscles is to repeat the exercise that made them ache in the first place. Unfortunately as the years pile up, aching joints accompany the aching muscles and excessive aches may need some rest. Fencing is one of those exercises that does NOT require 'more of the same' treatment!
We needed a new section of fence to keep the ewes seperated from the horses but still keep them away from the bucks. It didn't seem like much, a dozen wooden posts and 5 strands of barbed wire. If you have a post hole digger attached to a tractor, it really is a quick job. Our tools are a little more basic!
The tool to the right is our post hole digger and it works like a corkscrew going into the ground. A dozen posts is a good workout! We got it done, though, stretched the wire and even though the ewes have been leaning against gates and posts, resenting their confinement, it has stood strong! They are not complaining about the extra feed they receive and the corn is their favourite. That evening there were a few groans as we climbed the stairs to the bathroom, or got up off the couch where we had collapsed.
There are some things we didn't get done this year, we didn't get the downstairs windows replaced, but we did get one side of the house painted and a quarter of the roof re-shingled. We didn't get the new cupboards for the kitchen but we did mend and extend the chimney. We have enjoyed our garden and our outdoor shower and our animals. We have enjoyed our visitors and sharing our lives with them. We understand why they choose not to visit in winter! We still have to repair one side of the barn and hang tarps over the doors, which we will do next week. Then we will start to slow down for winter. A new season with its own set of challenges and activities.
All in all this has been a good year so far! Life is good!
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