Hi everybody it is time for another homestead update, and this time my mind is wandering to the leaves on our lawn and the cool temperatures we had this morning. As I drank my coffee I found myself wondering whether fall was on its way, whether a long Indian summer was not in our future.
I am of two minds about the prospect of an early fall, as hot and dry as it has been this year, I am probably not the only one who is welcoming cooler temperatures, but at the same time I worry a bit about what those cooler temperatures might mean.
Greeted to a chilly house getting out of bed, I put on my pants, socks and a coat this morning and pondered whether I welcomed the cooler temperatures and the fall colors or if I was still ready for just a bit more of summer. It is hard to say yet whether summer is truly over or if it will give us one more last blast before winter, but I think either way I can find something to love about fall this year.
I have heard rumors of a snowy cold winter this year, and I am not really sure I am ready for that. Our harvest like everyone elses was not as good as it could have been, and with being unemployed for most of the summer, it leaves woefully unprepared for cold temperatures and higher food prices.
There is Good News
The good news is that work is starting to pick up, this means that we should hopefully be able to pay most of our bills. A new contract has us hopeful that we will be able to make enough money between it and my husband’s part time job at least to cover our survival bills and make sure that we have heat and food. I am so thankful for that, it is easy to take work for granted when you have it but when it is not there, one needs to learn the value with doing without and relying on the grace of good to get you through.
I have a full pantry, just maybe not as full as I would like for it to be. Still it should get us most of the way through the winter, except for staples I could not grow. We have plenty of vegetables and meat, so that is a blessing, I had planned to stock up on other staples through the summer, but life did not work that way.
Getting the Garden Cleaned up for the Winter
I have two more loads of tomatoes to take care of, one of which for sure is going to end up in the dehydrator, and I have a bumper harvest of green peppers to take care of, as well as beans to harvest for dried beans and seed saving. Other than that, we have fall crops that are meant for us to eat and enjoy fresh and maybe toss a few in the freezer as we have the room. But gardening is essentially over for us. We are getting ready to clear the garden up this week and make room for a bonfire. Hopefully I will have some pictures for you this week as we work on that.
Other projects I Hope to get to Soon
In addition to working on getting the garden ready for winter, I am hoping to have time soon to paint our back porch; the paint is peeling badly and is all badly in need of a new coat. I also have a shed I want to clean out and reorganize so it can be used for a few wood working projects I would like to attempt this fall.
I know my husband is still trying to find time to get the roof on the garage done, I am hoping to give him some extra time this weekend to get that done, the rains will close in soon so if it does not get done soon it will have to wait until spring again.
With Cooler Temperatures Comes a Different Focus
Living on a small homestead I look forward to winter in a lot of ways, it means that all the projects that got sidelined during the summer because of no time get brought back out to be worked on. I am currently working on finishing several blankets as well as a Christmas stocking for my grandson.
I am also looking towards the Holidays and pondering what I can do for homemade gifts for the family. It is for certain we will not have a lot of money for gifts this year, but that is ok with me, because I would much rather give homemade anyway.
What part of fall do you look forward to most? What is your focus now that the weather is starting to show signs of cooling and winter months are ahead?
Autumn is my favorite season. Crisp mornings on the porch with my newspaper and a coffee.
It’s the time of year of when I remember my late grandmother the most. She still used one of those old style wood stoves to cook. After a warm summer her kitchen would come alive again for preserving…and baking for the Thanksgiving family gathering at her house. Those wonderful smells of her delicious spicy cookies, breads, pumpkin pies was not forgotten.
I happened across this blog this evening while searching for a good pumpkin pie recipe. Very well done. I’m enjoying it a lot.