Autumn At The Little Homestead

Anya- Late Afternoon Fall Nap

Autumn At The Little Homestead-
Fall is definitely in the air here. Some of the chicken water bowls outside had a little ice in them this morning. I stayed home from work today, getting over a bronchitis-y bug. Started on meds yesterday after I saw the Doc. The bugs have hit our school very early this year- colds, dry hacking coughs, tummy bugs. This bug is not as bad as some I've had, but I went to the doc earlier this time. I also used homeopathic meds right off the bat! I have an excellent sub, so I called here last night and she did my stuff today. I was over worked, etc. with still recovering from foot surgery, helping with wedding stuff, and unusual job stress from administrative changes (due to medical reasons). Very sad and emotional for the whole school.

While I was home I found a great deal at BestBuy for a Widows 7 cpu, $178.00! I ordered one, and it will replace our old XP that's dying. We have the luxury of 2 computers (one we got free from our daughter, since bought it originally), and replaced the oldest with a new Win 7 this spring. What a difference, fast baby!!! I got a great deal for $10.00 from work- Office Pro, retails almost $300., another great deal.

The birds and squirrels are hitting the feeders hard with the colder weather. No hard freeze yet, but we're close. We'll probably rip out the peppers, eggplants, etc. as they're about spent. Good crop this year though! Lots of green tomatoes left, and I'll harvest those in the next week or so. Depends on the weather. I bring them in, lay them in single layers on the kitchen counters. They ripen slowey, but are great for soups, and pasta sauces. The girls are finally laying again, with the added night light. We're getting a new water heater for them, since we didn't like the homemade version. We'll get something ready made. We had used a common design of a large cookie tin, with a low watt bulb. This sat under the 1 gallon waterer. Did a good job, but was a little too hot. Safety first.

Leaves are barely starting to fall, but I love the colder, clear weather. 60's for the next week, lows in the 30's. I got out our comforter, washed it and we can snuggle in now. Two blankets weren't cutting it anymore!

Fall chicken

Independence Days

Independence Days-
I've been busy, busy with work and getting ready for the first marriage in our family, of our eldest daughter, more to come!

1. Plant Something- Nope.

2. Harvest Something- My hens went on strike- 2 eggs in 2 weeks! We added more light last night, and got one egg today! With the shorter days, we're adding a few more hours of light. Veggies are slowing down, watching for the 1st hard frost. Tons of green tomatoes to pick if needed and basil for pesto.

3. Preserve/Store Something- More gourmet breads, butter, meats in freezer. 

4. Manage Reserves- Get a Good Deal/Barter/Stock Up/Prep- Rearranged pantry closet a bit, to squeeze a bit more in. Found a pretty, new bamboo napkin holder for $2.00, will save for a gift for later.Got some really cute fall decor at Goodwill. My fave is the little seasonal "stick" -there's 4 sides with a different season on each one, with seeds to match. It's underneath one of two wooden pumpkins I also got. Roses are from the wedding!

I also found several brand-new Eddie Bauer messenger bags (great for work), 

I got his one for $4.00! Lots of pockets and good size, not too big!

  5. Eat the Food- Try New Foods/Recipe- Made some pork chops with our canned applesauce, with onions, yummy! Still using misc. garden veggies for meals. 

6. Build Community Food Systems- No eggs to sell right now.

7. Recycle/Re-Use- Got lots of left over mini pumpkins, flowers, a few baskets, and apples from my daughter's wedding center pieces (she did a fall theme). I added some pears and got this-

                Put away summer flowers from my vintage kitchen box, added fall colors-

8. Skill Up- Re-doing my resume, what a chore! I have some ideas, time will tell.

9. Regenerate What is Lost/Salvage Something- Got 2 free dining chairs from Dave's pal, ugly but sturdy. Old and brown, will do a creamy shabby chic paint job, with either burlap or linen seats covers. I will post some how-to's when done.

                                     More fall colors, with the 2nd wooden pumpkin I got thrifting

Wood Five-Drawer Apple Rack Idea

Wood Five-Drawer Apple Rack Idea-
This is a great idea (while very overpriced) and I'm sure is something similar to what people have used in their cellars for cold storage. I'm sure they also used something bigger too. It's here Wood Drawer Apple Rack I could see doing this in cedar since it's naturally bug proof, or even using pallet wood (if free of chemicals).