November 23, 2022
Here in northeast Ohio, we get some fantastic sunsets in the autumn and early winter. My sister Mindy, loved them. She had many photos she had taken over the years in scrapbooks. Mindy has passed from this world, but every time I see a pretty sunset, I feel her in my heart.
That feeling fills my world for just a brief second, but resonates across my soul. Her birthday was yesterday. I captured these shots then. How fitting!
In other news, I have been busily working to get my younger sister Charlie’s house built. Getting materials and services has been a challenge, but things continue to move forward. We were able to finish the exterior siding Monday. The house is now closed in. What a relief. After a nine week lead time, we even got the garage door installed.
The back of the house.
The garage door, simple yet attractive.
The front porch, with vinyl stone entryway. It is a low maintenance option that won’t need paint and should last a lifetime.
The walkout deck and covered patio is taking shape. A few jobs, like pouring the patio and sidewalks, will wait until spring. My hope is to have her in soon with a few plans for next year once the weather breaks again.
This has been a big project. I am a jack of all trades, but master of none. I have been humbled several times, but I keep moving forward. We can now move to the inside where insulation and drywall are the next efforts. I am satisfied so far. We broke ground on July 5th. I’m pushing hard to be able to have her in by Christmas time.
Filed under: November 2019 | Tags: autumn, Small Farming, sunrises, sunsets
November 9, 2019
Winter is pushing hard on us. Next week, they are forecasting overnight lows in the single digits and teens (F). The leaves are mostly off the trees and our growing season is over. I have a couple pastures of stockpiled grass for the sheep, but the cows and horses only have a few days of grazing left. I will be feeding hay very soon.
Our weather has been changeable, to say the least. One highlight is that our sunrises and sunsets have been beautiful. I have a breakdown with my corn picker. Thankfully, the parts are in route, so I may get to pick with it yet. So far, I am picking by hand. I like the job, but would have gotten an earlier start if I had realized that this was my option.
They are also predicting lake effect snow for us in the snowbelt for the coming week. It’s not a big deal, but it seems very early. When I was a boy, this weather was more the norm, but in the last few decades, our fall weather has been more warm and wet. I like winter, but I should have made better use of October!
Alas, it will all work out. The weather will be what it will be. The corn will get picked and the animals will come to the barn. Chores will increase as outside work slows down. In the meantime, I will take a little more time to enjoy the beautiful show each morning and evening, as Autumn bows out.
RicelandMeadows 