Hi friends! We are having a GORGEOUS warm spell this weekend and I can't tell you how lovely it is to have turned the heaters off and opened all of the windows again. How did we get so lucky? October has always been our favorite month of the year for lots of reasons, and I'm not sure we could have fit one more thing in.
I often start to panic about this time of year, because I am trying to figure out which projects we can complete before the weather turns and we aren't able to power wash or paint anything.
We dove into one of those projects this weekend at the same time these warm and breezy days started. Earlier this summer we had the roof replaced on the farmhouse and had the chimney taken down and reworked. Next up was to paint all of the corbels and cupola. As soon as our beautiful new roof was installed, the crusty, paint-chipped spots REALLY stuck out.
Once we got up on the roof and started scraping, we noticed that most of the wood will have to be replaced as it's all rotting. But that's going to have to wait until next year. It's out of our realm of expertise, according to Anthony. I always think we can figure anything out with the help of You Tube. Anthony does not agree. BUT the cupola is primed and ready to be painted today and we can cross this one off the list. For now.
The leaves seem to be the most vivid they have ever been since we moved here. A good friend told us that we need to be sure to take a trip down Snake Road in Lake Geneva to take in a picturesque little drive to admire the leaves. Everywhere we've driven in the past two weeks has been unbelievable. I asked another friend of mine if this year seemed better than years past and she said it's the best she's seen in about 20 years. That confirms it - it IS incredible this year. Also, who knew I would ever be talking about leaves this much?
I miss the long, aimless country drives Anthony and I used to take when we were shopping for our farm. It was one of the reasons we fell in love with Wisconsin. I told him we should make a plan on Sundays. First, to make a different homemade soup each Sunday in the morning, and then venture out for a Sunday drive.
And now it's officially official, I'm 100 years old talking about leaves, making homemade soup and taking Sunday drives.
This time of year is busier than Spring, which I always thought was the busiest. Maybe it's because by this time of year we are worn out a bit and ready for a rest? In October we've got to clean up all of the gardens and the flower farm, shut down the pool, figure out which small construction projects can be completed before the weather comes, make sure all cows are pregnant, all calves are vaccinated, clean the chicken house for the upcoming winter, pull the honey and extract it and prepare the bees for winter. This year I'm taking care to save seeds more than I've done in the past, and I pressed more flowers that I've ever been able to before. It's also the time of year when we try to harvest and can and save every last bit of what we've produced here. We are by no means homesteaders, but we try our best to use most of what we grow here.
It's hard to try and get to it all; this year I've decided to do my best, but not kill ourselves to make it miserable just for the sake of getting it all done. It doesn't really matter if we actually get it all done. As long as we are having fun and the animals are healthy and we are healthy, then who cares if we have to give the remaining cucumbers and zucchinis to the animals? It does take a LOT of effort to relax and constantly remind myself to enjoy the process of everything and not necessarily the end result. Oh and I've also decided that next year I'm bringing in help. Anyone want to come visit next October...I hear the leaves are amazing that time of year.
Looking to the week ahead, tomorrow is the hardest day for us, by far. The most difficult day of the year. It's the day we send the steers to be processed. It's a day we would rather be up on a roof scraping and painting in the wind. Or doing just about anything else. Our neighbor Kevin will bring his trailer over to transport the animals. He's a great help to us and we wouldn't be able to do it without him. He is calm around the animals and that is HUGE, especially in situations like this.
So say a little prayer or send us some good vibes tomorrow while we give thanks and gratitude to the animals that provide food and nourishment to us, our friends and our customers. You know how much we love all of them, how much this life and farm means to us, and how this is a difficult, but necessary task to complete.♡
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