Getting Ready for Winter

One of the final chores that needs doing before the Winter Snows come is.....cleaning the woodstove.

Yesterday afternoon, it happened.....we do this a couple times a year. We basically use Only woodheat all winter in this house....except if it gets Really Cold, we turn on a few baseboard heaters in the basement, to keep things from freezing up!

Here's the Gman...he's wearing his fall arrest stuff....he will be tied off to a post on the front porch....

I hate watching this job....I can't help but watch to make sure he is ok, but I sure do hate watching! (I'd hate actually climbing that ladder even more, lol!)

Ok, there he goes....gulp

Ok, look up....look wayyyyyy up....there he is

And this is him when he is done!

Twenty two feet of cleaning rods going up and down the chimney.....

After he's done, he likes to sit up there and look over the fields, I think he is looking for deer or moose....

Once finished, I went in the house and cleaned the woodstove on the inside...threw all the ashes onto one of the manure piles.....

After he got that done, he moved on to finish off getting the camper ready for the snow....He has already drained all the lines and put antifreeze in the water lines.

He built an A-frame....then put a tarp over it. He fastened down the tarp using bungie cords, and then weighted it down with old jugs filled with water....another job done!

After that, he cleaned out the gutters....now we think the only thing left is to cover the greenhouse with a tarp.

But...that can wait - we're going to spend the rest of this morning getting ready to go to the cottage....hopefully by mid-afternoon, we'll have the boat, wolf and everything else in the truck and we'll be taking off for a few days!

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Finishing Touches Up at the Shop Site

A nice surprise yesterday when a neighbour showed up with his dozer to do the levelling around the shop site....we weren't expecting him to come along so quickly!

He's unreal on this machine, does a Really Nice job! The Gman was scooping up rocks with his excavator, as the fellow moved around the job site, clearing and cleaning, levelling as he went.....

The Gman worked for a bit to get this bugger out.....it was barely exposed at the beginning. It was pretty much right in line with the driveway going into the Shop, so it had to go.....

You can see all that blue sky, the weather has been just gorgeous! Cool mornings, but fantastic, sunny clear afternoons!

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Thanks for all the Piggy Comments...

We've had quite a comments about the butchering of our 3 Little Pigs....and thank you for those! The actual process went fine, it was taking and posting the pictures that were difficult.....and it goes to show that even tho one can try very hard to not get attached, well, if you've got a soft heart, it can and probably will happen!

In other news.....the other day we went to town and did our twice yearly big shop, wanting to make sure all the cupboards and pantry are stocked up. We had a nice dinner out and came home tired but happy.

We're still trying to get down to the cottage for a couple of days, it will probably be this weekend.....our problem is, we still look around and see the odd thing that needs to be done around here!

Yesterday I finally got caught up on all the laundry, and started giving the house a good cleaning....more of that will get accomplished today (I hope!). Outside things that still need going include cleaning out the gutters (the Gman is waiting for all the leaves to drop first) and also going up on the roof to clean the chimney....maybe that will happen today.

This morning, the Gman went out to walk the back part of our property, hoping for a deer....we'll see. It would be nice to get one, as we still have a need for some red meat for the wintertime.

I should be hearing from the butcher's today, about the weights for each of the two pigs we brought in.....

This past week has been a LOT slower in pace, and you have no idea how much we are enjoying the idea of sleeping in a bit, then just slowly puttering in the mornings. There is no longer a hurry to get down to the barn - all we have left are the laying hens, and we have big feeders and waterers set up for them....

Yesterday, the Gman got a light hung up in the coop - he's put it on a timer so the birds will have a total of 15 hours of daylight each day....needed to get them to keep on layin.....and he also has hooked up the light under the large waterer....this should be the water from freezing!

Have a great day! Sphere: Related Content

Shop Pics

Here's two pics of the shop progress.....the backfilling has been completed. We are hoping in the next couple of days, our neighbour will come over with his dozer and grade the whole area....the Gman has been pulling out the stumps left from the trees he had to take down....

(this pic is the Front of the shop, the lowered area will be where the front doors are going to be)

Once everything has been levelled (or maybe before, lol!), we'll be able to have a big fire up there, to clean up all the tree limbs etc, that had to come down.

Then, I think that's it....the foundation will stay as it is until the Spring comes, the snow starts to melt, and then we will be able to start framing the walls....

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Moving da Outhouse

When we moved into this country place, there were a couple of things that bugged us....the Main one was the location of that all important building....the Outhouse!

We're glad the previous owners built one...they can come in awfully handy during those power failures! (Altho using it in mid-February ain't so great!)













But why, o why, was that outhouse placed right IN the yard? Dunno....but I couldn't stand it! Everytime I looked out over our gardens, that bloody Outhouse was there! In every picture I took, there was that Outhouse!

See????













There it is again!

It actually came in handy while it was up in the garden area....no, not for that, but for storage.

The first summer, we used it to store hay...yes, seriously. If I had known then I would start a blog, I woulda taken a pic!





Then it was used to hold our garden stakes and greenhouse lumber!

Uggghhhh, so finally early this Spring, before we built that new greenhouse, the Gman moved it! Sooo handy having an excavator!


















He moved it down closer to the barn, in the trees....and there it sat, with no roof on it for all of the summer. Finally, a couple of days ago, we got the roof put on...it took half an hour, lol. Amazing how procrastination works sometimes, isn't it???

I did manage to get it painted, tho :)













So, here it is, all done (well, not quite, it needs a door still, with a moon crescent cut up) I even hung a thingy up on the side. Next Spring, I'll make a proper pathway from the seating area, down thru the trees, past the Outhouse, and will carry the pathway along to the Barn.





Another thing OFF the List! Sweet!
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Shop Progress

I had mentioned we were finished up at the Shop site for the winter....here's a few pics

We laid out the Big O around the perimeter.....then the Gman used his excavator to place gravel on top.....

Then I laid out some landscape fabric on top, then the Gman finished it off by doing all the backfill....and I realize now I forgot to take a pic of the finished result! I'll have to go take one and post it! Sphere: Related Content

The Pigs are Done

It's Friday evening....it's been a long day. We said goodby to the last 2 pigs today. Brought them to the butcher this afternoon...after a long morning that started out at first light.

By the time we got them loaded in the truck, they were slaughtered, gutted, cleaned, skinned and dressed out. I didn't take any pictures. I know I said I would, but I didn't.

It was hard....it was hard last year, too, but we thought maybe that was because That was our first year. Now, we've found, it doesn't get easier...at least not this year.

There's lots of good we have to keep in mind...we took good care of them. They Loved being here, and had the chance to run and play...eat pasture and have races with each other.

They ate good food, ate lots of veggies.....had a good roof over their heads....but, yeah, it's been kinda hard day.....

In other news, the garden is DONE.....I'm not going back in until Spring 09! Sweet!!!

The shop site is almost Done...tomorrow the Gman will lay a bit of pipe....then that's it! We're DONE till Spring...Double Sweet!!!

Tonite we went for dinner at the local Legion.....nice and relaxing.

Next week, we'll probably go to the cabin for a couple of nights at least....ahhhh, I can almost feel the relaxation begin to set in! Sphere: Related Content

Carrot Harvest

Late yesterday, I pulled the remaining carrots out of the Garden...I will have to deal with these today. I did manage to get the tops cut off (went to the Pigs) and got them all cleaned yesterday.

At some point today, I'll be hauling out the pressure canner, to get these dealt with.

But first, we're off to the Shop Site to finish getting the Big O and drainrock put down.....

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Making Burger

So, this morning, we took care of the trimmings from that first pig.....




The Gman cut the trimmings into small pieces,

we set up the Spong grinder (great addition to any country kitchen!) and started grinding away.

















and then wrapped the burger into 1 pound packages, tossed them in the freezer.


We have a few trimming left, we will cook them up, then can them for Wolf Food.

After using the Spong, we wash it really well in hot soapy water, then give it a really light oiling. We've never had a problem with it! Sphere: Related Content

Butchering Pigs

We did our first pig the other day....I didn't take pics of the actual slaughtering process. But, we have the other two pigs due to be done this Thursday or Friday, so I will try and take pics then and post them...

Basically, we did in the pig and got it to the point where we cut it in half....then hung it down at the Barn in the Meat Bird room. ...now, we're pretty anal about the cleanliness of where we put, hang, cut our meat.

So, yes, that whole room had been cleaned out months ago and has been airing ever since. Then, we put down some fresh hay, put papers underneath where the pig would hang....and then, wrapped old clean sheets around the two halves and held the sheets on using lots of clothespins!

We left the meat hanging overnight....it's the perfect time of year for doing that, no bugs anymore, and outside temps are very cool, but not freezing.

Here's one half...you can barely see the other half on the left (wrapped up in sheets) You can see a Cut, that is the Third Rib, where the Gman separates the front shoulder from the rest. (For ease of cutting)

And here's the other side of the half.....

We use this reference book, given to us by friends a couple of years ago...an excellent reference!

We had the radio on, and Billy Idol's Rebel Yell came on...ever seen a Pig Farmer playing the Bone Saw to Rebel Yell????? Yeah, well, here's your chance! A Once in a Lifetime Experience, I'm telling ya!

The Wolfie knows he is NOT allowed in that room...and he's very good at obeying...but he did stand at the door, as Close as He could get away with.....

Some of the cuts......the cutting was done on the Feed Freezers, they had been Bleached down and we had a bucket of warm bleachy water, so we could periodically wipe things down.

Bacon, and Lots of it!

A Heck of a Nice Looking Ham (we cut it in half)

We have put the Bacon and Hams into the freezer. We have no time right now to do the smoking - so, as time permits, we'll pull out a bunch and smoke them....The Gman built a Smoker several years ago!

Day-ummmmmmmm! Nice looking meat!

Three nice looking Pork Roasts....

The Gman using the Bone Saw to cut thru the ribs....

And here is what we ended up with....
NOTE: These packages represent One Half of the Pig....the other half was traded off to a friend, in exchange for a Whole Lamb...to come next month. We did this last year, and the barter worked Very Well!

You can see two bowls of meat in the pic...those are all the trimmings, and will be ground up into Pork Burger....10 pounds worth.

After the packages went up to the House, I took the time to weigh it all....came to 101 pounds of meat per HALF, and that includes the Bones (which we wrap, freeze and give to the Wolf during Winter) and also includes the Fat (which we wrap, freeze and either use ourselves for on top of Roasts....OR we give it to our Chickens during the winter...they LOVE it!)

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Progress on the Shop

Yesterday, we spent part of the day working up at the Shop site.....first we had to go around and fill in all those holes (from the strip ties) with this Roof Patch stuff....very thick...easy to put up on with a scraper....

Then we ran chalk lines around the perimeter and started the damp proofing.... crappy job, kinda like trying to paint tar on with a brush....you can rent sprayers to do it....I guess you'd have to heat up the crap...



anyway, I did a lot of brushing and dabbing...every time I finished one wall, I'd climb out of the hole and celebrate with a brew (it was Friday, AND after 4pm...I figured I was on Overtime :) )...Gman was busy on the inside of the hole, still stripping boards....once he was done, he helped with the damp proofing....

I threw my clothes away after I was done....seriously. I remember this job when we built on the Coast....that one took 4 days straight...I wore the same clothes every day....what a sight. At the end, I took em off and threw them straight in the garbage....you don't want that stuff going thru your washing machine.... Sphere: Related Content

Putting the Garden to Bed

Things are getting wrapped up around here! It's been busy, yes....but we sure can tell we're knocking things off the list!

I've been out in the main veggie garden for the last few days, harvesting, weeding, sowing fall rye, raking.....it's a big garden (2400 sq feet) and so it feels like it takes Simply Forever to get it all put to bed for Winter.

But I'm making good headway - the whole right hand side is Done! The left hand side is more than half done.....I still have to pull carrots (Soon!), then will have only Swiss Chard, Kale and a bit of Lettuce left.

Yesterday, I did a really good weeding on the Asparagus Bed, then went and edged all around the outside of the Bed. Then threw down a bunch of straw to provide a mulch for the Winter.

This morning, I cut the strawberries back....they still had Lots of Flowers and quite a few small berries on them, but they were sure getting frosted. After I trimmed them all, I threw a bunch of Straw on top of them too.

I also threw a bunch of Straw around my 2 Grape Vines....I sure hope they make it!

This morning, the first Pig started his trip to Freezer Camp....the other two will be done by Friday this coming week. It's kinda hard for us, better tho I think, than last year....we got far too attached to them last year....not good.

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BBrrrrrrr! -5 Celsuis This Morning!

This is what I woke up to this morning....7:30am





Yes, that's right...-5

And a pic of a frosty garden...I have my work cut out for me today. I'll have to get the strawberries mulched, asparagus cut back, weeded and mulched....this afternoon I'll have to get as much weeding and fall rye put down in the main garden, as I possibly can.

After that, things will slow down (I hope!) Sphere: Related Content

Animal Update

Took a couple of pics yesterday down at the barn....I've been working on doing some cleanup down there.....putting extra feeders, waterers, etc. into one of the empty deep freezes. This stuff should be fine in there over the winter.

and a pic of the Pigs...it's Almost Time (if you know what I mean).....


















And a busy henhouse yesterday morning....we have 5 nesting boxes down there, but the gals like to lay where there is already an egg, so I guess they are willing to wait their turn! Sphere: Related Content

Garden Cleanup

Things are kicking into high gear around here....yesterday I worked in the garden almost all day....

I'd love to say we grew these squash, but we didn't! A friend bought them for me on a trip down the Canyon....hard to grow squash up here unless it's in a greenhouse, and we couldn't afford the room!

I've finished getting the old pig run ready for Fall....weeded, fall rye put down and raked in...one thing off the list!

A pic of our berry bed, I still have a lot to do in there, but the fall colours look kinda nice...the raspberry plants turning red....the low bush on the right is a High Bush Cranberry.

Here's part of the main veggie garden...in the foreground is fall rye coming up, which I planted weeks ago in that spot. The only plants left on that side are the Kale, and they don't mind a frost at all - actually makes the Kale taste better!

I got that middle portion weeded yesterday and put down fall rye.

And the other upper portion of main garden...all that is left in there is Swiss Chard, some late planted lettuce, and the rest of the carrots...gonna have to get those Carrots out soon!

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