Snow. That is all.

This is so I can remember that it snowed on October 4th this year.  We are so not ready for winter.  It is bitter cold here already.  Brrrrrr......

Fall Has Arrived In Our Yard!!

I love living up North. I hope this winter won't be as bad as last year, but they are calling for it to be.  Oh well, may climate change be gentle to us this year.  Please...... 

Beets and Inside the Chicken Tractor

 Beautiful beets from my garden.

 Inside the chicken tractor.

Lots of eggs.

Desertification

 This is what the chicken tractor leaves when moved.  We now move every 12 hours instead of 24 since our grass is kinda sparse in places. It should look better next year.  It even looks better this year already.

 These are pictures of our yard, which in the Northwoods of WI, we are surrounded by lakes and where it precipitates every week and we are finding this in OUR yard.  It's what chemical fertilizers do to your lawn and field.  This needs to change.  Here is a TED talk from Allan Savory to reverse climate change.  Yes, I said to reverse.

 Sparse and mossy.

 Bare patches from abuse.

 Our front yard.  May it be filled in next year when the snow melts.  We'll see.

More desertification in the back yard.  The chickens are currently depositing their fecal matter on this area at the moment.

Chicken tractor and Sheep

 Putting up the fence in the front yard.

 Wala, chicken tractor.  And chickens wanting some treats now that they see us.

 Maggie and her sidekick Daphne.

 Another view of chicken tractor.

 Treats!!

 Mama (Abbey) sheep with her two boys and Damsel in the back.

 Eggs.  Pretty.

 Chicken tractor with Maggie and Daphne.

Sleeping sheep are so cute.  :)

Big Blue, Pup and Chickens

 Daddy got a big blue truck.  Going to take two sheep to get them harvested this Thursday with it.  Don't let us down blue. 

 Guarding our Miss Maggie Mae here. 

 The chickens loved following Maggie in the yard while they ran around. 

 Going to go look for worms in the dirt. 

Sir Edmund.

Tree is out of the garden area

 They cleared a path to the tree and their extra trucks parked on the highway.

 Also getting a couple bushes next to the house that might be part of the cause of the garage wall being pushed inwards.

 Clearing the path.

 Ready to push the tree over when cutting is done.

 Maggie and our tree stump in our garden area.

An hour and a half later and this is how much its been snowing.  :P   Our tree and bushes in chips.

A New Pup and Seeds - The Homestead is Starting To Take Shape!!

 Woohoo!  Seeds for the garden and we have a supply of milk jugs for winter sowing!!  Yes!!

Our new pup.  A nice mix of Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd.  I don't know if I'll get any other breed again after meeting her.  So great with the other animals and so patient with the kids!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Raw Cranberry Sauce

Writing this here so I remember what changes I made to the original recipe.

2 Small apples ( try one small or half a med. next time, taste and adjust)
1 Large orange
3 dates (leave out to warm to room temp.)
1/2 lemon
2 cups cranberries


Turkey

Cut up and cooked in its juices: Julia Child style.

Notes:  Need larger stainless steel pan, 17lb turkey was too big for our pan.

Stuffing

Same as last year.  Try pork instead of ground beef.  Soaking walnuts overnight def. got rid of the bitter taste.

Our New House

I know its been awhile since I have posted here.  We have finally settled down in a new place and are starting to be able to get things started in the direction of the way we want it in and out.  Lots to do, but were excited to be doing it.  It our new home.  It feels so good after so long of being out of place to have our own place.  Here is the link to zillow about our new house.  Pics will come along soon that we will be taking.  I have lots of plans and want to have before, during and after pictures.  You can see in the zillow pics that we had carpet in the kitchen and dining room.  That has been replaced by laminate floors, such a relief.  Soon I will be posting about the breeds of chickens we will be getting, goats, sheep, etc.  What we plan to plant in the garden and how we want to set it up.  : )

I will leave you a picture of our ladybug infestation.  From what I heard is that there was another invasive species of some kind and 10 years ago they brought these specific ladybug specie in to help with the overpopulation of the other bug and now you have overpopulation of this specific ladybug.  Confusing?  Yeah, sorry.  : P