Gettin' Ready for Winter

Oooohhh Fall! Fall is one of my favorite and most serene seasons. It’s also a season that we spend gettin’ ready for winter. The trees are adorning and peaceful. The air is crisp and dry. It excites me to wake up to gold and red falling leaves. Then, Texas’ winter weather…well, is similar to Jack Nicholson’s swing of personalities. Really makes you think twice about choice of clothes. Wouldn’t it be great to have a big winter?! The kids have been praying strictly for a white Christmas. If they could pray to winter fairies they would do that as well. Whatever it takes, they will do it.

Of course, with a fix-it-up house and land upkeep, the projects are endless. I like to get this stuff done so there is more time for red wine and cheese balls.

Somehow, we have been able to convince the kids to help every bit of the way. I’m confident the quarantine has caused confusion into their obedience. How did it happen? I don’t know, we are all still confused about it too. We don’t ask questions and just enjoy the time together. Gathering wood, feeding animals, and cleaning- it takes all my village people.

The greenhouse was picked up and organized. Kevin made me an irrigation system. He loves me, he really loves me!

Because there is always room for more chickens, I have half a dozen chicks. They out grew the growing pin and now have their own room in the coop, heat lamp and mulch. They are almost ready to be in the coop-dominium with the other ladies.

If these guys could talk…conversation would be endless– endless chirping.

Kevin treated the weeds in our pasture this past season. It left it looking amazing but thinner than normal. You know, not balding but still-has-hair-but-in-denial kind-of-style. Therefore extra bails of hay were needed. Knox (the 2 year old) is always there to supervise Daddy. There’s a lot of supervision of supervision going on here.

We get distracted easily. Don’t worry, the German Shepard and the cat grew up together. They are best friends. They sleep together, wrestle together, and play non-stop.

We made an assembly line of kids throwing hay bails to the loft of the barn. These are to help keep the pigs and calves warm and clean. Clean is a relative word to them. I don’t know why I get frustrated with the way pigs live. Let the pigs be pigs Lisa!

I told the kids to grab their gloves to work with; they came back with latex gloves and masks. Covid has ruined everything. That’s kinda NOT what I meant.

Lucky not only always wants to participate but seems to think he’s the supervisor. Who is the supervisor??

We moved all this stone that was once in a nice pile by the barn, and now since has been trampled by pigs. We relocated it to the other barn until we are ready to start that project.

I call this, Project “Clean Up”. Again, Lucky is overseeing this project as well. His intense stare can really get you moving.

Then there’s gathering firewood and mulch for the season. Hard work but someone like Kevin will do it! (the real supervisor, we will shorten it to R.S.)