Oct. 14-20, 2018 Frost, Hoop Houses, Winter Clothes, Van, Cross Bow, Teapot,

Oct. 14-20, 2018  

Frost, Hoop Houses, Glasses for Dd, Winter Clothes, Van, Cross Bow, Teapot

Frost has finally hit us in Michigan; later than usual.

The change in season has made for extra beauty.

Hello Friends!

Fall is settling in but I still have many fall jobs still pending.  I'm knee deep in our Winter Clothes Boxes that I brought down from the attic but have given myself this final week to sort it out and take back up the boxes to clear our floor space. 



 I've been mowing, mowing, mowing to get in one last final mow of the season.  I gave the chickens one last bag of fresh cut grass of the year and put the rest in our compost bins.


  
Red hummingbird feeders are washed and put up as well.  I'm still finding tomato plant tops and branches to bring into the chickens to strip bare.  



All hoses are emptied and hung inside barn.  



The pool furniture is safely inside the barn too.  What a lot of work for one person to do!!!

Oct. 17, 2018: The Last Growing Day:

I happened to be watching to the weather and they said today was 'the last growing day of the year.'  Isn't that interesting, I'd never thought that there was a last peak day for plant growth.  Hearing this news gave me permission to pull up any remaining plants to feed to the chickens and bring in all the produce I could without worry that they might still be growing if I'd left them outside.

Oct. 17, 2018: New Glasses for Dd:

Dd's glasses came in!  She was so excited we had to drop everything and rush to go get them!  

Hoop Houses:

Dh helped me carry in the two hoop houses he built me in the spring for our fall, and hopefully our winter garden.



  I placed them over the Swiss Chard and kale plants that are still doing so well.  Some turnips got under the plastic as well.  I still haven't dug up the turnips or carrots yet--supposedly if you wait until a few frosts have happened they will produce more sugars and be sweeter.

Chicken Coop- Plastic Wrap: Started

I've been watching video's on YouTube on how to keep your chickens healthy in the winter.  Actually, my first question is when/if to use heat lamps within your inner coop and that lead to all sorts of information.  I'm trying to not turn on my heat lamp until it gets really cold so my chickens can adapt to the cold weather better.  I had been afraid in past years that if I didn't put on the heat lamp at the first chilly nights the poor chickens would get sick and die.  Now that I am getting a few winters under my belt and am feeling a little more confident about their ability to adapt, I have, so far, not turned on the heat lamp at night. 



 I have turned it on for a few hours during the day or evening for Zeus or to dry the chickens before bedtime after being rained on all day in the chill. Surprisingly, I saw quite a few video's from people that had wrapped their runs in plastic wrap so the chickens could go outside during the winter and not be in snow.  At first I just wanted to do the top of the run, adding a tarp to provide a top cover, but then I decided to do the sides too to keep the harsh winds out as well.  I haven't started the project yet, but am doing research on how best to provide for the chickens during the winter.

Due to the frost coming I had to bring in all the veg; whether it was ripe or not.  I'm hoping, given time, most of the tomatoes will ripen inside.

Each day I brought in new containers with tomatillo's, green beans, squash, and tomatoes

Harvest:

STILL harvesting tomatoes, tomatillo's, various greens, green beans, etc.  

I did two sessions of canning Tomatillo's, then I did a third canning with them and some tomatoes to make a pre-salsa mix.

We are getting temps in the low 40's and some frost in the mornings so our time for harvesting is fast ending.

This squash came in with a worm inside!  I had to give the whole thing to the chickens...they liked it!

Henry:

He is doing great!  He has grown so much and filled in with lots of muscle and hair.  His back was so bare you coudl see his skin threw his thin balding hair, but now he has a full thick coat!  



This week has been such a crazy stick week; he is even bringing in his favorite sticks to chew on in the house!  

Two more spaghetti squash from our garden

Dd:

Our teen daughter has been especially tired and fighting a cold this week.  We are still struggling with her getting her few chores done each day.  I admit I have to repeatedly ask and she continues to drag out her chores as long as she can.  I feel like all the solo driving she has been doing has really accelerated her feelings of heightened independence.  I'll be curious to see how things proceed as the snow will soon arrive and I'll be back to being the chauffeur.  This is, by far, the hardest phase I've had to go through with her.  It is hard letting go and at the same time being the person that aggravates her and pushes her to do her chores.

Van:

I don't know how anyone can keep up on our revolving door of broken down cars; but about 1-2 weeks after getting our van back from the repair shop it started smoking.  



We waited a week and drove it to church again and it smoked again; making it official that something was definitely wrong with it.  



Then for about a month Dh just didn't have the time or mental space to deal with it.  



Last week Dh began discussing possibilities with his dad over the phone and then brought the van inside our garage this week to officially start trying to fix it.  He narrowed down what was wrong with it and will begin rounding up the parts and pieces to begin the repair.  Grampy, Dh's dad, is due to visit next week so they can fix it together then.  This week Dd helped Dh work on the van.

New Gun:

Dh found a new (used) gun for hunting season this year.  It is a .44 rifle, single shot.  So the gun can only fire one bullet at a time.  This year Dd will get to use it, or at least take it with her when they hunt together.  We have so many deer around our house, it sure would be a huge blessing to get some of that un-factoried meat for our home.

Hunting Prep:

Dd and Dh built a table to use out in the woods this week.  After they built it they shot the cross-bow off it.  This is their quality time and shared interest.

Teapot:

There are few things that bring such peace and calm as a good cup of tea.  I relish my few teapots and tea cups and the joy they bring.  Heather had given me a nice teapot, but the handle is beginning to break and I don't use it anymore, fearing it will break off entirely. To my full appreciation, I found a perfect brown, made in England, probably never used--paperwork still inside, teapot at my thrift store this week!!!!  I immediately put it in a box with stuffing to give myself on Christmas day!  It is very plain; that dark brown old timey England glaze on a nice big fat pot!  Such a big, large-volume size pot.  Praise the Lord for those little surprise treasures He blesses us with when we least expect it!

I've been having a great time lining up dead trees and branches along our trails to mark them clearly.  With all the leaves it has gotten harder and harder to stay on our trails.

My Mom:

I like to leave little notes for myself to keep track of what is going on with my mom on my blog without sharing any real 'private' information.  I know I hate to see when other family members share indelicate info about my mom on facebook and I don't want to be a hypocrite, even if it is in my own heart.  This week my mom told me she is going to move back to Maine.  In March/April she moved from Maine to Ohio and now she has decided to move back.  There is so much to say about this, but I don't think I can say anything here.  She flies to Maine next week--such a fast decision and hard to process.



Pool:
We finally got the pool all closed up and the proper winter cover on it.  Just in the nick of time, of course.

Mushrooms:
I've been taking alot of mushroom pictures this week.  I'm going to make a whole post just for these cool photo's.



Academics:

Bible:

Dd finished up one of her devotionals and started another---Praying for Your Future Husband completed and Soul Surfer Devotional by Bethany Hamilton in process.  She continues to do two devotions each day, the other one being the Word of Life Teen Devotional she got from our Olympians program.

Church/ Sunday School and Youth Program

Volunteering (1 1/2 hrs) Olympians Program, Games

Frost in the garden

Music:

Strings Group at church---guitar.  This week Dd got to play a 12 string guitar that another player suggested she try.  She did a good job with it.

Frost on the Blackberry Bushes

Frosty garden...brrr!

Physical Education:

Dd and I walked the woods together this week.  She continues to work with Henry--walks, throwing sticks, and training.

Grace Subjects:

Algebra I: Saxon

Spanish I

Graphic Design

Introductory Logic

Geography: BJU

Grace classes are going very well.  She is doing all the work and learning a lot.  She is especially loving the Algebra and Geography classes.

Audio:

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

I can't say we are enjoying this but trying to stick with it.

Next Week:

Giz and Grampy are coming up for the last time this year.  It took all week, but I got all the winter boxes emptied and restored up in the attic.  Floors swept and mopped.  Guest bedroom all tip-top and ready for the UNO playing daredevils!  Dh's parents will soon be here!

Agnes is helping me sort through the winter scarves!

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