Fire, Fur and Feathers

Yesterday was "Bon-fire" day down at the barn. Clean out is under way of the place! Previous owners left, "you won't believe me if I told you" junk. We have 7 weeks till the beginning of Anna's expected due dates. Not knowing when she was bred exactly, leaves us guessing a bit. Conversion of one of the two rooms is needed for a place to kid, holding pens and a future milking parlor or should I say milking corner. Feed and hay storage and assorted supplies will occupy the other side. We would love to have a bigger real barn but will have to work with what we have for now. Besides, what really constitutes a barn anyhow? Webster dictionary defines it as ~ a building for sheltering - harvested crops (hay), livestock (goats), machines, etc. Guess the old relic qualifies. It was a long day with 2 very tired bodies at the end of it. But the difference is amazing! Anything that could be burned was quickly made into a pile of ashes. The large brush pile we had made during the summer was used to feed the flames all day long, clearing out that area too.

We set up some nesting boxes in the old silo, since we have 4 hens who like to lay their eggs in there. The goats seem confused about loosing their tepee living quarters. But the goat shed is almost complete and is their new home. Now if we can only convince them of that.

I had a friend ask me yesterday if we had settled in the house yet. I had to confess that after being here for 4 months it is still a work in progress, like so much around here. The shear number of projects to be done, slows progress in any one area. As we are constantly having to refocus our attention as individual needs arise. One day it's the chickens, the next the goats or Sassie. Occasionally it is our needs at the house that come up in the rotation. One thing for sure it is never boring around here. There is simply no time for it!

A blessing I found in one of the rooms of "our barn" was a huge tub of fabric pieces. Some were mere scraps but others were yard cuts. Someone living here before us must have loved to sew or quilt. It is quite an assortment with some really old prints in the collection. It's a quilter's treasure chest of possibilities and I look forward to using them. Right now I am trying to wash them up to remove the musty-storage smell from them. Hoping that a little time out on the line flapping in the sunshine will help. Being such a large amount, it may take me all winter to process them.

The time change of last weekend has brought both a challenge and a help to our chore schedule. The mornings are easier, due to daylight arriving earlier around 6:30-7am. But the evening setting sun at 6pm leaves us to do chores in the dark. Flashlights are a must for now, next year I hope to get some power established down at the barn. We talked just last night about another added benefit of the earlier darkness. One being that we are eating our dinner earlier due to the movement of choring up in the evening hours. The other is we have more leisure hours before bedtime now. Though with the intensity of our work load of lately, our bedtime has moved up as well.

It is encouraging to see the Silver-lace Wyandotes and Isa Browns checking out the nesting boxes. Increases in egg production should be right around the corner once these girls get on board with laying. Will be just in time to off set the fall moult of the older hens.

Today is a solo day for me. Other than a few basic home chores the day is open to whatever I desire to do. The challenge it brings before me is I have so many desires. Choosing will be difficult. Inside or outside play? The weather this week has been warm, sunny with chilly nights thrown in, typical fall weather. Little color is left, as the trees have dropped a good portion of their leaves.

Such short lived splendor to enjoy,

Deborah