The autumn is winding down

[sholio]

Today was gorgeous, by Alaskan October standards -- sunny, in the 40s -- and probably one of the last nice days we'll have before it snows, so today was a "getting ready for winter" day. I cleaned up the garden beds for spring, tidied the greenhouse and battened it down, picked up loose stuff around the yard, mucked out the chickens, etc.

I also made the unpleasant discovery that this wet, rainy, windy summer soaked my sawdust pile. We picked up a good big load of sawdust from a local lumbermill when we first started keeping chickens three years ago and I've been using it for litter ever since. It's my own fault, too, because I knew that the tarp wasn't covering it very well, but every time I checked, it looked dry on top. It is dry on top ... just not underneath; the only parts that are still dry are the parts that were sporadically in contact with air when the tarp kept blowing off. The rest of it is sodden clear through, and we aren't going to have enough warm, sunny days to dry it out enough to put in the chickenhouse. I can still use it for compost, mulch and whatnot, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to scrape up enough dry sawdust to last all winter, and the lumbermills are probably shut down for the season (plus, until I move the old sawdust, I have nowhere to put new). If I do run out, I can always fall back on something else -- I can buy wood chips or straw, it's not like there aren't other options -- but I'm a little annoyed with myself for not figuring this out when there was time to do something about it.

... not too annoyed, though, because as minor inconveniences go, it wasn't much of a thing. It was a beautiful day, and I finally remembered to check my box of green tomatoes and found that quite a few of them had ripened up nicely (including some of the black ones, which are awesome looking; image-search for "black tomato" and you'll see what I mean). And I checked a bunch of stuff off my "to do" list.

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Comments

[cat-77.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a gorgeous day. Here in MN, it reached the low 50's, but we're due for snow next week as well. Coworkers are complaining, but I'm actually quite pleased - it's so pretty and peaceful and allergen-free and I love the image of frosted trees. Mind you, we're in the last hurrah of Fall right now so we're enjoying the colors while we can and using the last of the warmer days to try to do *something* with the yard to prepare it for the winter.

[sholio]

That sounds really pleasant. :) Our trees have already lost their leaves, so we're past the really pretty time of year.

[bramble-rose.livejournal.com]

Oh, You Guys! *is jealous* We only ran the A/c for a couple of hours this afternoon, it's finally getting to be Autumn-ny in Central Texas!! The air has a certain crispness to it...did you see the Moon and Jupiter last night? Beautiful!!

[sholio]

The sky has been gorgeous lately! We have a telescope that's strong enough to see some of Jupiter's moons (so teeny!), and the moon has just been amazing, especially in the evenings.

[liz-mo.livejournal.com]

We here in Germany are right inthe middle of our "sunny October" phase. Blue skies with no end, golden trees and temps in the 40s. Thats how I love autumn. In November there won't be snow but rain,rain,rain and dreary cold days on end. I am hoping for snow againin dec/jan like in the last two years.

[sholio]

Oh, that sounds really pleasant! :) Here's hoping that you guys get some snow!

[roga.livejournal.com]

It's a beautiful day here today, mid-70s with a cool wind, and all I want to do is sit outside all day and take in the weather. It's started getting cooler in the evenings, and I think it's about time for me to take out me winter - or, I guess, my transitional season - clothes.

Your farm stories are as always fascinating :-)

[sholio]

Thanks! :) I'm glad you're having pleasant weather - I'm definitely a cool-weather person and can't handle heat very well (though I guess it's a matter of what one is used to).

[leesa_perrie]

Nice day here, sun is shining and although there's a slight nip in the air, it's warm enough to work in the garden without coats - though if standing still, I suspect a thin coat would be needed!

Hubby is the one working in the garden, btw, not me - though I may get roped in later, depending on what jobs need doing!

[sholio]

Sounds nice! :) I rather enjoy the end-of-season garden work; there's less of a sense of urgency to it than in the spring, when everything is on a tight schedule in order to get things into the ground in time for them to grow properly. In the fall, once the harvest is over, it's just a quiet sort of winding down and preparing for winter.