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Most of the smaller images have larger versions linked
to them. :: WEATHER :: PROJECTS Starting on the South side I worked my way around the house. I worked on the sashes in the shop and I waited until the side I was working on was in the shade to reinstall and paint.It slowed me down but gave me an excuse not to work. The north side was in shade all day, and the back is covered by the porch. The window on the front in the dining room was a challenge. It is off the front deck, which is nice because I didn't have to use ladders, but there was a barn swallow nest over the front door (again this year). The swallows dive-bombed me while I worked for short stints. I worried that they might abandon the nest. As I worked, I watched the baby sicking his head over the edge, keeping an eye on me. The baby fledged the day after I finished working out there. The big front picture window was a daunting task. The bottom edge of the frame on the picture window was completely rotted away. We bought a special router bit and Danny made a new frame for it, as well as sashes for the side windows and several other windows around the house. When we finally tackled removing the front picture window in October, we were so worried we were going to break it. We were able to get it out and into the new frame without disaster. It was 1/4" glass--very heavy! I made the mistake of putting it in the frame while it was flat on the shop table. When we turned it vertically to put it back in, the glass slipped down and all the glazing compound buckled. It could have been worse--I wiped it out and did it again. Fortunately, we found less rot in the opening than we feared and we got all the sashes back in that same day. It took until the end of October to get the last window finished.The last job was putting weatherstripping, polyurethane, and sash locks and lifts on every window. It's so nice to have them looking better and particularly nice to have windows that open and close properly. Alas, I am afraid they are going to be just as drafty. One recent windy day, I could still feeling cold air coming in from the bedroom window. For a winter project, we are going to change out some of the moldings on the inside. We have already done the big front window and front door. We salvaged some old moldings from a friend's old abandoned house and recreated the style. I love the way it looks so much more than what was on our house originally. The beautiful window draws my eye away from my TV watching. I can't wait to do the rest of the house. But I will hate to cover them up with curtains. :: GARDEN By late August the weather cooled down to comfortable mid-80s. The garden was already starting to wind down. The tomatoes were only beginning to turn red. They weren't as good this year. I got a variety called Jet that is supposed to be less acid and good for slicing, but they just don't taste as good. I tired a different variety of green beans too that didn't fair well. Plus lima beans that just didn't put out much. The cucumbers were slowing down--they got too hot this year and were often bitter. The zucs and squash plants died off early. Probably because of the squash bugs.. The melons were mostly done. The cantaloupes were really good this year. I got so many I cut a bunch up and froze them and used them in my morning smoothies.Yum! At one point, I had 2 grocery bags of cucs going bad in the frig. The eggplants didn't get bigger than softball size but I used most of them. I started harvesting the sweet potatoes. They look pretty funny and I had to share them with some type of critter, but they taste good. Danny won't eat half of the produce, so I have to eat it all myself. I had to get creative with recipes. I made 2 batches of Ratatouille and found some fun sweet potato recipes. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to making pickles this year. The bell peppers were the last thing to come in. I had an unusual sweet orange bell that was about the size of jalapenos and they produced early and plentifully (they are in the picture with the sweet potatoes). :: YARD This September, I revamped the front planting bed. There were a couple foundation plants there already and grass that never got mowed because it is on the wrong side of the walkway. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do and I bought a bunch of plants on sale at Lowes. Because I didn't plan it well, I had 6 plants left over to find homes for. If I have a plant in a pot it will die on me in no time so I needed to get them in the ground. The 4 spirea will become a screen around the air conditioner unit. The other 2 we won't talk about. The irises in the backyard are a continuing issue. Danny doesn't want to mow around them and there were far too many for me to keep weeded. We finally figured out a place to move some of them to. We were trying to decide what to do with the foundation from the shed which is still in the backyard. The dirt inside the walls will define a nice planting bed. I started to dig up irises to move there in the Spring. I didn't get very far before it got too hot to work. I had to clean out all the weeds and I planted a handful before other projects and the heat stopped me. The others sat in a bucket all summer. By fall, only a few were useable. And, I had a new crop of 6 foot tall weeds. After I got it clean-up again (with help from the chickens), I laid the path. I got what I could planted but the chickens keep coming in and scratching it all up. I put the gate in place as a focal point. It came from the fence down hill from it. We didn't want to put up a fence because it will block the view of the garden and hills beyond. I made a plan for a fence but we haven't had time to put it up. Next year, I will try again and I am planning to put in a birdbath/sculpture thingy and a bench. :: FISHING Then we paddled around on our upper (smaller) pond. We fixed it up last fall and it had filled to capacity by early spring. A couple revolutions and we were at the far side. I wanted to know how deep it was since we stocked it with Blue Gill and Catfish this Spring. It should be at least 8' to support fish through the winter, but it is only 6' feet at the deepest spot that I could find. We wish we had spent a little more money to dredge it and make the dam higher. Hopefully, the fish won't die this winter. The frogs don't care how deep it is though and they would be happy to see the fish go. We got an electric trolling motor cheap at an auction so we attempted to go fishing at Ethel Lake one morning. There are a couple jon boats on the shore that are available for use. The weather was threatening but we hoped it would stay North. We got the boat to the other end of the lake before the thunderstorm started heading our way, so we turned around and went home. We made it back into the truck as it started to dump. Danny made a contraption to attach the trolling motor to the paddleboat and we took it back to Ethel. The only thing we caught were Bluegills. They are not very large but Danny caught a batch and brought them home for dinner. They are a lot of work to eat. :: CATTLE Danny took a "grazing management" class this year. It detailed a method of getting more efficient use of the pasture by dividing it into smaller units and moving the cattle through the pastures in certain intervals. It means we could run more cattle. This year, the pasture got very weedy because the cattle couldn't keep up. We really want to try this method out but it will mean buying and putting up new electric cross fencing. We are signed up for state money which is available to help with the costs, but we may have to wait another year before we can begin. We created a plan and started working on putting in the corner posts but now Danny wants to wait until the state guy comes out to take a look. We sold the cattle on Sept. 23rd. The next owner buys them for the feed lot to fatten up some more. We didn't lose money but we didn't make as much as if we had just rented the pasture. We haven't done all the numbers yet, but it looks like we grossed about $1,600. We still need to add up all the expenses. By comparison, we made $1,500 to rent the pasture the year before. We ended up paying almost $500 in commissions which really cut into the profit margin. Still, it was a learning experience, and t was fun to have our own cattle. We never got very attached to any of them. We went to the sale barn to see them sold and I didn't even recognize them. It was hard to see how much they had grown since we saw them everyday. On average, they gained about 250 lbs. each over 6 months. Danny brush-hogged the entire property after they left. It looks much better and is more pleasant to walk through. :: CHICKENS We found an ad on Craig'sList selling roosters. We got 5 chicks this spring and had hoped one would be a rooster but we didn't luck out. We learned from last year that it is nice to have one to keep the girls company. (We picked him up just a day before we lost the one in the road.) He's a beauty! He's a bit wary around us but he takes good care of his girls. When he finds a good morsel, he makes a gurgling coo and the girls come running to snatch it up from him. It is so funny to watch his chicken dance as he woos the gals. During the summer we were getting 4 eggs on most days. Danny ate a lot of egg salad sandwiches. They are supposed to lay 2 out of 3 days but it has slowed down now. Two of them have been molting for a month and aren't laying at all. We are down to 1 or 2 eggs a day. We had about 4 dozen in the frig at one point. I finally found a couple neighbors to buy some of the extras. Helps a little with the cost of feed. Now we only have enough for our own needs. :: PETS Some of you already know that my kitten Dewey died this year. She was just 1 year old and got FIP. I had a feeling she wouldn't last very long--she was so impulsive. We rescued a stray kitten just a day after she died. She had wandered into the Orschlen's and the cashiers put her in a box while they tried to find her a home. When they told us she was a calico, my heart went pitter-pat. Danny said it was fate that we should take her home. She is actually a long-haired tortoiseshell. She was about 3 months old when we got her. She is 8 months old now and out-weights Kitty-kitty by at least double. (Kitty-kitty was always small and is very thin.) Abby has a round belly and and has a lot of extra skin there. I'm wondering if she might be all or part Maine Coon. She has big feet and the "lynx tips" on her ears. She meows A LOT which Maine Coon reportedly don't do. She gets along with the dogs but doesn't trust them enough to play with them. She will play with Buster's tail but he pretty much avoids her. I'm afraid she and Kitty-kitty don't get along. Kitty-kitty never liked her, but now that Abby is bigger than her, she gets picked on by Abby. Our cats are pretty good about catching critters. There are voles, mice and shrews. The mice start coming in the house as the weather cools. Abby caught one a couple months ago (when she was just 5 months old) in the house. By the time I found it, it was pretty messed up. I put it and Abby outside. I recently watched her eat an entire Junco. There was nothing left but a couple of feathers. I wish she would stick to sparrows. We have too many of them. Sammy and Buster are good at catching voles in the field. They just pounce and gobble them up whole. I wish the cats would learn to catch the gophers. They are making a mess of the lawn. :: NATURE We also put up a Purple Martin house in the backyard that Danny built over the Winter (See picture in last chapter). We were so thrilled when we saw the first Martins checking it out. Unfortunately none of them stuck around and it is a constant battle to keep the Starlings out. Then the Bluebirds started building nests in it and we had to chase them away. The Starlings can go but I hate to discourage the Bluebirds. They are so beautiful and beneficial. We have put up Bluebird houses but the house sparrows chase the Bluebirds away. We try to chase the sparrows away but they are persistent. Still, I'm pretty sure the Bluebirds raised 2 families in our nestbox this season. We saw many Martins check out the house this season and hope next year some will move in to stay. Fall is the best time to have a fire in the fire ring in the backyard and watched the sun go down. We had a glorious sunset and a sliver of a moon. The coyotes and owls provided background music. :: BUGS :: HAIRCUT :: AUCTIONS We went to an auction for the lumber that was advertised We were disappointed with what was there, but we did get quite a few good deals. I bought 2 small tables I didn't need for $1. and a brand new garbage disposal for $1. I got a little wall shelf for $4 to put my wind-up toys that haven't had a home for almost 3 years. Danny got a bucket of latches for $1, a bucket of Simpson brackets and door hinges for $25.--a fraction of their value. I bid on a desk lamp--something that I have been needing. It was put together with a hedge trimmer and this other guy outbid me. Since he just wanted the trimmer, he gave me the lamp for free. I love auctions! At another auction, we were looking for a brush cutter to clear the fence lines and steep slopes that the mower can't get to. My electric string cutter is inadequate for even keeping up with the yard. I got a small gas weed eater at an auction but we haven't been able to get it running. One auction had one advertised, but it turned out to be cheap and old. I ended up getting a pile of rocks there for $4--Danny is so tolerant. The next auction had a DR top-of-the-line model. It cost $4000 new. It was more than we needed or could afford. We hoped it might go cheap but it went for over $3000. It was the last item auctioned off. Fortunately it wasn't a big auction. I bought a bunch of cement blocks for $10 and Danny got a new bench grinder for $10. I found the DR walk-behind trimmer I had been looking for, on Craig's List. It was in Iowa and we drove halfway to Chicago to get it. A fun day trip but we were exhausted and worried about the poor dogs who had been stuck in the house all day. We recently went to a goat auction just to see what is out there. I still really want goats but we will not be ready to buy any unless we get better fences. :: WORK |
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