Fall projects--the endless lists--and a reprieve

G is trying to get the Allis B running. He just installed the new radiator this morning. Hoping it will run now! 

Update from later on: Allis is still not running. Poor G! So disappointing. It will just take more time.

My beautiful spinning wheel arrived Friday and G has already put it together for me.  No time to try it yet though--I spent most of yesterday cleaning the house and taking care of animals before our dinner guests arrived.  I was a little resentful, it was a perfect autumn day and I should have been out making the most of it.  We had a nice bonfire and I got to know G's coworker and family a bit.  The sheep and horses were a big hit with the kids, as was the sight of dinosaur Granny Rose hunting a meadow vole.

Beautiful frosty morning on Friday--just after sunrise.

After the tractor didn't start, I made lunch, tried to console G, and then we headed out to move the sheep.


This is where they had been:

We'd been running them back to their hard paddock from this last patch of turnips and millet
 (with access to the barn since the coyotes have been around so much lately)

Setting up sheep rotation in their hillside paddock.  They haven't been here in two months or so.
  Look at all that forage in the swales!!  Pounds and pounds of forage turnips, Daikon radish, and some other brassicas I think.  I'm sure I was skeptical when G planted them, but now I see the light.
 It's almost like vertical gardening for your pasture.

They can't wait to get out there!  Henry kept punching me through the cattle panel gate.

Release the hounds!!

Princey the cuddle pig.

I really should go out and rake some leaves to store in bags for the winter.  In the middle of January they could provide some much needed enrichment for chickens with cabin fever.  Throw some seed in the pile, some dried meal worms, and they will dig and forage for hours.  Good for their bored little brains, and to keep them warm with vigorous exercise.

Some of these plants are second generation in one summer.  And they just keep growing back if you give them a bit of rest.  I've been harvesting radish and turnip leaves for the bantams who aren't on grass, and new leaves just keep popping up. 

It was so cold and windy yesterday I gave up on riding Oakley, so we came inside to organize our basement suite.  We are turning it into our workout area/craft room.  I have high hopes of doing some painting this winter, along with fibre arts.  G wants to focus on finally learning the fiddle he bought three years ago.  We are really hoping to get a wood stove installed soon as well, but that's a pretty big cost.  It would really help during the long six month winter though!

G is away in Vancouver all week, so our list of projects will have to wait a bit.  We started a new list yesterday, since we managed to get most of the harvesting done last week before the frost arrived.  G did much of the preserving, and we dried herbs and flowers.  He's pretty excited about his fermenting tobasco peppers.  Sounds gross, but I have to admit I'm now a convert.  He made brined jalapeno spread last year, and it's amazing.  Also the kim chi is amazing!  He made some with cabbage he bought, but my favourite is the kim chi he made with the turnips from the sheep swales. This certainly isn't a food blog, but maybe I'll try to find a 'how to make kim chi' link and post it some time.  Mostly I just like writing about how G isn't afraid to try new things, and how talented he is in the kitchen.  

The new list:

Finish insulating the duck house, the Flan coop, the chook palace.  Build poly tunnel off front of chook house.  (I also want to build an enclosed aviary off the back for guineas only)  Build winter run off front of Flan coop.  Install sweeter heaters in Flan coop and duck house.  De worm sheep.  Put up tarps over hay.  Build stone boat for Oakley to pull.  Cover banty runs with greenhouse poly/coverlite. The banties are all due for a quick physical exam, and weight check.  (whenever an animal has gotten sick it's been extremely helpful to have historical weights on them) nail trims, any parasite checks and treatments.  After the long hot summer some of the birds likely have dry feet, so a little udder balm now can help prevent cracking and bumble foot. I do this for any ducks and guineas I have in hand as well.  

Things I wish could be priorities: we had planned to put windows in the chook palace.  we planned to put a new gate in the horse paddock and replace some of the weak boards.  G had an idea of finding a little wood stove to put in the garage--that would be great for the banties who live in there, plus might encourage us to do some winter wood working projects. 

Oakley and I on Friday evening.  Our first time driving up into the hay field:

Coach Steve had us go up there without pulling the single tree or any weight.  The trace chains are hung up on a little piece of hardware up on the point of his hips.  This was a reconnaissance mission of sorts.  We needed to know if Oakley 'took issue' with any spots in the field, real or imaginary. Then later we can work on pulling things, after we are sure I have his full attention, and we are not overloading him all at once.  Coach really does know how to get into Oak's head!  It's amazing and so reassuring.

On a related note, Steve mentioned that he's seen many riding horses with sore backs improve their fitness and specifically what's called topline after learning to ground drive, and start pulling even light weights. This will be great to address Oakley's bit of swayback (he's 20 now!!) and help to keep him fitter.  His hamstrings and shoulders are already growing, and at our last session where he was pulling a lot of weight Steve pointed out how Oak's flanks were engaging, and I really did see it! Almost like Pilates for the Oak bear!  As he ages and gravity takes it's toll (he's a big horse after all) this will most certainly help him.  

You can see me smiling HUGE in this photo.  What a great night!  I needed this after a few things of late.  Pepper is indeed sick, as I feared after noticing her strange roosting behaviour. Kitten has started on medication for her soft-shelled egg laying, but what she really needs is on back order from the manufacturer.  She may not have that long.  Trying to spend as much time as I can with both of them.

More on that soon.