October 29- November 4, 2023
Howdy! I hope this finds you doing nicely! Sweater climate has formally arrived. We have had a pair mild frosts and a tough frost (26 levels Fahrenheit) and highs starting from 41 – 55 levels this previous week.
As I kind, I’ve cut up pea soup cooking away within the slow-cooker, spelt bread dough rising within the heat of the pellet range, and a scorching turmeric latte subsequent to me. It is considered one of my favourite issues to drink within the chilly months.
November and December appear to fly by, sadly. I attempt to take the time to benefit from the magnificence and spend a while outdoors, however my days are crammed with making and packaging merchandise for our enterprise so as to have sufficient stock for the vacation purchasing season. We have had many individuals purchasing early and, on account of many requests, made our winter vacation merchandise accessible final week. One among our vacation cleaning soap scents, Farmhouse Christmas, is sort of offered out already! We have by no means had that occur earlier than with a vacation cleaning soap – that is numerous cleaning soap! We attempt to make sufficient of the winter limited-edition cleaning soap scents to final by the center of December. Generally they even final by Christmas. It is laborious to know for certain. We let our cleaning soap treatment for about 4 weeks after making it which is why we’ve to make use of our greatest guess at how a lot to make – it is not a fast turnaround.
Our official vacation purchasing season, for our enterprise, often begins the weekend after Thanksgiving. We additionally inventory our merchandise for this season at an area non-profit museum, so I’ve to make up sufficient of all the pieces for them as nicely. Our merchandise are their high vendor for his or her vacation Artisan Market which is such an honor! We’re so pleased that we’ve a loyal following who select to buy our merchandise annually for his or her gift-giving. I attempt to keep on high of their stock, so I’ve objectives set for every week of how a lot lotion, deodorant, lip balm, shampoo bars and cleaning soap batches to make in an effort to keep away from (hopefully) all-nighters and emergency product-making nights. We have been there and finished that.
Due to the frosts we have obtained, the one issues at present rising/residing in our backyard is kale, arugula, and chives. I’ll proceed to reap from them so long as I can after which hope they’ll return within the spring. The fruit has been picked off of all timber and both eaten or preserved, the backyard has been put to mattress, the compost bins are full, subsequent yr’s garlic has been planted, and we’re doing one final leaf clean-up all through the yard for the season.
The coop women are doing good. We’re nonetheless seeing some feather loss, so the annual molt isn’t fairly over. I will likely be cleansing out their coop at present and am hoping that a lot of the feather loss has occurred, so it will not be stuffed with them once more. We’re receiving no eggs. The youthful 7 women could begin once more within the subsequent month or two, however I doubt the remainder of the flock will present any till spring.
It was working completely advantageous till the final week in July. Since we have had the door, I am not in a rush to exit and verify on the chickens within the morning. I often get on the market round 9 now as a substitute of very first thing. Properly, on this specific morning, I hadn’t even realized that I did not see one rooster as I walked previous home windows. Lastly, after I was about to go out to the coop I assumed, nicely that is odd that I have not seen any of them. Initially my intestine response was {that a} wild animal obtained to them, which made me very involved. So, I rushed out and after I regarded on the coop, realized that the automated door was closed. I assumed perhaps the battery had died. It had not (the battery is estimated to final a really very long time). I pushed the override to open it and it made this terrible noise however would not open. I did this once more after which realized one thing should be caught within the monitor. Finally I obtained it open which is after I noticed {that a} tiny chunk of filth was within the monitor and the doorways obtained caught.
This is the issue. The monitor that the doorways slide on is on the underside. That is the place the chickens stroll and, if you happen to’ve ever had chickens, you know the way a lot stuff they’ll get on their toes, particularly after it rains or snows. If something will get in that monitor, the doorways cannot open and shut correctly till the monitor is cleared.
We’re nonetheless utilizing it. I attempt to verify the monitor each couple of days within the night, and I make sure that they’re out within the morning. It is useful for winter so I haven’t got to exit early (particularly if it is icy or snowy). The issue will come once we go away for any size of time. We cannot have the ability to rely on it. It is too unhealthy as a result of it is a terrific dimension, appears to be made nicely, may be very straightforward to program/reprogram, and (to date) has a terrific battery.
My thought is, in case you are on the lookout for an computerized rooster coop door, search for one which opens from the highest down which may have the working tracks for the door to slip on the edges. This manner, it does not have something on the underside that may get clogged.
On the menu for this week:
Me
Chickpeas & Dumplings (vegan model of rooster & dumplings)
Creamy Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup
Cut up Pea Soup
Tofu “Egg” Salad Sandwich
Jay
Salisbury Steak with Rice
Arroz con Pollo
Pork Chop with Apples & Stuffing
Cajun Rooster Pasta
Gradual-Cooker Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Spaghetti Pie
Creamy Rooster, Veg, & Rice (like a stove-top rooster pot pie however with rice)
I am hoping you’ll be able to slow-down and take a number of moments every day to benefit from the season. I am making an attempt to recollect to do that as nicely!
