Fall is definitely approaching here at Skookumchuck Farm. The mornings for most of the past week have been ushered in by heavy fog, which obscures the hills behind us and sometimes even our own property! Cows? What cows? Oh, there they are!
This morning felt especially chilly. The outdoor thermometer confirmed 47 degrees, although this afternoon is supposed to reach a high of 78 degrees in the Seattle area (which means 80 or slightly above for us). I am starting to wonder if our tomatoes will make it. The little yellow ones provide us a handful or so of fruits ripened on the vine every day, but the reds aren't ripening so well. A few plants have yet to produce a single rosy fruit. I suspect I'll be housing a bunch of hard green tomatoes again at the end of the season, hoping to ripen them in the garage.
The change in the air reminds me of other chores that will need to be accomplished soon: planting spring-flowering bulbs (I didn't get around to it last year), ripping out spent vegetable plants and mulching the beds, layering old hay over some of our tender perennials (although I'm starting to think tender perennials just don't stand much chance at this house!). Indoors, our ventilation system needs desperate cleaning, some drafty spots new caulk, the slip-inducing moss removed from the sidewalks so no one breaks their butts coming to visit. :) Fall is my favorite time of year...sleepy, cozy, breath-seeing, sweater-wearing, cider-drinking. YAY! Gone will be the blistering days when I wish I lived in Alaska (or an air conditioned house). During the height of winter, when I'm sick of breaking through crunchy snow to take buckets of warm water to the cows' troughs, I'm sure I'll long for the sunshine of summer, but for now, cooler weather seasons are right up my alley!
What do you have planned to get your home, garden and/or farm ready for the cooler months?
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Oh Amy, you almost make fall sound like something to look forward too!
ReplyDeleteAs for getting ready for the cooler months!
We still need to fill the wood shed! Hoping to figure out where to put the garden next year, so I can get the elepahnt garlic planted!(probably end up putting them in pots) 2 dogs still need a winter house! Gotta gather up and put away anything that will blow away in the first wind storm!
I did get the thin spots in the hay fields seeded and the cows have a full loft and a clean barn, so the important is ready!
I know, N, I'm sick, aren't I?! I love fall...it's my favorite time of the year. Congrats on getting your barn, hay supply and field seeding under control! I'm hoping the deluge we had yesterday will do something for our painfully crunchy pastures.
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