Winter's Coming

Looks like our wonderful Indian Summer is ending.

From the Weather Service:

ALBERTA CLIPPER HEADING FOR NORTH DAKOTA.

AN ALBERTA CLIPPER WILL PUSH THROUGH NORTHERN NORTH DAKOTA LATE TONIGHT & TUESDAY. THIS WILL BRING A COMBINATION OF SNOW, GUSTY WINDS & BLOWING SNOW TO NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. SNOW AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL COMBINE WITH GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH TO CREATE GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN SNOW & BLOWING SNOW ON TUESDAY. THE SNOW WILL DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND THE STRONG WINDS WILL ARRIVE JUST BEFORE SUNRISE.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Still Waiting ...

There really hasn't been much to write about lately.

I suppose I could tell you that I'm still dehydrating onions as I have time, still have to process pumpkins.

Still making and canning raspberry jam (I had to freeze berries during the season since I didn't have time when they were fresh off the bushes).

Still trying to get organized.

Still waiting for a sawmill in Bemidji, MN to let us know when our pine boards for siding our house are ready.

Still waiting for my washing machine to be repaired.

Still waiting for snow (thankfully).

We have managed to get some things done, while waiting.

The boys traveled to some friends' farm to help them reconstruct a large barn that had been dismantled at another farmstead.

David had fun doing odd jobs at the work site.

Tin siding was added after the framework was in place.

Those ladders look a bit tall for me!

What do you do when ice on the lake is frozen with only a dusting of snow on top? Go skating! Peter was doing quite well.

David was a bit rusty, but soon got the hang of it.

Even Samson went skating.

And away he goes ... The white blurb in the upper middle of the photo is our house.



And yes, we are still waiting to find a home for Henry.

One event we don't have to wait for is Jim's 50th birthday. We celebrated his big day yesterday.

Still Here

Another quick post to say we're still here, but I've been a bit too busy to get anything on this blog. My tomatoes are finally canned, my last bit of lard is rendering in the oven, and now it's just onion dehydrating and pumpkins to cook and freeze. Pretty soon I can turn my thoughts to other activities around here -- such as patching jeans.

Our kitten named Henry continues to be a source of entertainment. Our oldest cat named Funny Face lost her kittens, and after a bit of encouragement has attached herself to Henry. She is actually Henry's grandmother, but cheerfully allows him to nurse and spends quite a bit of time cleaning him up. Of course it always goes into a wrestling match.

David has a lot of fun with Henry as well. David is also blessed to sleep on the top bunk. Andrew sleeps on the bottom bunk, and sometimes in the middle of the night is awakened to Henry chewing on his ear or curling himself around his neck. I've experienced it myself, and I'd rather be sleeping!

The days are very nice -- usually in the upper 40's or low 50's -- so Henry is sent outside to check out a larger world. The nights are usually in the 20's and by now Henry is quite spoiled, so he gratefully sleeps inside. I am still hoping someone will decide to take him off our hands, and soon. Jim can tolerate a kitten in the house, but larger cats cause him to wheeze and sneeze. In other words, he is allergic to them. If someone doesn't take him soon he will have to take up residence in the barn. We have someone possibly interested, and will find out over Thanksgiving if they want him.

The sunrises have been beautiful lately. Someone commented yesterday that the sun doesn't show up until at least 8:10 in the morning. The boys and I have to sit on the far side of the kitchen table to avoid having sun in our eyes as they do their school work.

The sunsets aren't bad, either.

Indian Summer

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful fall day ... Lots of dry leaves to crunch under our feet, and plenty of sunshine. And, it was at least 70 degrees! Amazing, considering it wasn't that long ago back in early October when we had 6 inches of snow. This wonderful weather gave us a reprieve, and time to do some last minute things we didn't think we'd get done this fall.

The boys used yesterday afternoon to finish priming and begin the main coat of paint on the barn that was constructed a year ago.
Jonathan's chicks are enjoying the warmth as well. They are replacements for the loss of 40 laying hens at the end of September. That is one item I have wanted to blog about, but just haven't had a lot of extra time lately.

Peter was busy hitting the high spots.

Andrew was up on the ladder, too. You can see the finished product via a video on Andrew's blog .

Jonathan was also on the paint crew.

Sandy the cow is very pregnant, and we estimate her due date to be in the middle of this month. Won't be long before we have our own butter, cream and milk!

Here is one of the kids born last spring. We are trying to decide if we should keep this batch or sell them.

Samson is my buddy, because he knows I will throw things for him to retrieve. This basketball just happened to be handy! As it is, it's full of teeth marks.

I was able to do one of my favorite things yesterday -- hang clothes on my clotheslines!

I have lots to things to write about, but have been concentrating on getting the last of my canning done. At the moment I'm rendering lard and dehydrating onions. Not a very nice smelling combination!