In my defense, things have been pretty busy around the farm lately and I've also taken advantage of the beautiful fall weather by using up some vacation days. I've had a couple of 4 day weekends that were just awesome and we've been busy winterizing the cabin, the trailer and the barn. Who knew there was so much work to do just to get ready for winter?? I guess Wally took care of all that stuff last year without me even being aware of it because I sure don't remember any of it! LOL Well, I do remember that we had to shut off the water to Dizzy's apartment so it wouldn't freeze and cause the pipes to break.
We have had a couple of visits from the horses, who tend to stay mostly in the lower pasture where the grass grows lush and full. We didn't ride them at all this summer and it's not looking good for fall either. There's just so much going on we haven't found the time. I'm sure it doesn't bother the horses at all - lol!
They haven't changed a bit. Rebel comes right up and sticks his nose over the fence waiting for us to give him something to eat while Smokey hangs back making sure no one touches him or even tries to! As soon as we pick up their buckets, here they come. They go right into their stall and stomp and snort until sweet feed comes their way. Of course I make Smokey come to me so I can scratch his head before he gets anything to eat. He still lets me which always surprises me since he's so skittish. I do remember the days when he wouldn't let me touch him at all unless he was tied to the hitchin post - do you remember those stories from when I first moved here? I'll have to go read some of the old posts and see how far I've come learning the country life :)
When it comes to the horses, Colt and Ruger just don't know what to think. They act like they're king of the hill until the horses come up and then they're faced with these two huge animals that can clearly kick their behinds... LOL it's pretty funny to watch them interact. The dogs won't go under the fence if the horses are there but buddy you let those horses take off towards the bottom of the hill and the dogs make a beeline for that gate. As big as Ruger is, he can still slip under there like it's nothing and he's gone in a minute if we aren't there to call him back. They currently act like they don't have to listen to me when I call them so guess what? That's right, back in training.... well, they will be one year old in November so I'm hoping (fingers crossed) they'll start listening just a little better. hahahahaha!
Ruger seems fascinated with the horses while Colt is very standoff-ish. Colt circles the woods outside the stall but won't go close enough to touch the horses. Ruger will walk right up to the stall but hesitates to make a sound or even sniff around. He just sits there and watches them eat. I'm sure he's curious about just what the heck they are eating - especially since he isn't getting any of it himself - but he's not brave enough to try and take it from them... LOL They aren't allowed to bark at the horses either - you can imagine what training them for that was like...
It's hard to believe the "puppies" will be a year old in a month. They've gotten so big and so rambunctious! We talked about how they used to hide up under the front porch and they wouldn't come out for anyone but Neccy. Now, they wouldn't even be able to fit their big heads under that porch. They can fit under the back porch but they have no interest in getting under it. All they want to do is run, run, run and then sit and hang out with us or torture poor old Smith. We don't let them of course but if we weren't around, they would be all over him.
Speaking of Smith, he's been getting the royal treatment lately. He has a dog pillow! He actually likes it too! He sleeps on it every night and doesn't want to leave it in the morning. We had to get him something to rest those old bones on. He just plops right down on it and sleeps like a baby. There would be no point getting one for Colt and Ruger, they would just tear it to shreds! Now that it's getting cooler at night, Smith needed something. He's just too old to have to go through another winter without being as warm and comfortable as we can make it for him.
Colt and Ruger don't seem to feel any temperature changes whatsoever. They sleep outside the dog house unless it's raining and even when it was 34 degrees the other morning, there they were - up and wagging their tails as I drove by at 5:00 am. Crazy boys!
The two lonely roosters still make a daily pass by the back door and if I can, I go throw out some scratch feed for them. Sometimes they want it, sometimes they just wander off into the woods without even touching it. They are completely wild now and will shy away at the slightest movement. I still hang out with them and talk to them when they do eat the scratch feed but things are different with them. They know how to survive and apparently being buddies with me isn't part of the program any longer. Maybe when winter sets in fully? They'll need me and my scratch feed then... hahahahaha!
We're still talking about building a hen house and getting some chickens come spring time. I know I said the same thing last year but this time we really plan to do something about it. Sure the eggs will be nice to have but also the roosters will be much happier with some hens to live with and they'll be safer in a coop than out there in the woods roosting on their tree limbs. There's a used car dealership (very small one) in Fairview and they have hen houses for sale by the side of the building. They're kind of fancy compared to what we were thinking about but it wouldn't hurt to stop in and see what they go for. Might be easier to buy one than build one considering the lack of available time.
So Fall is upon us here in southwest middle Tennessee and the leaves are a sight to see. I posted pictures on the flickr site so you can see what I mean. Around every corner is another beautiful picture just waiting to be taken. You have to be quick though because if you don't get the picture today, it's going to look completely different come tomorrow.
As I drive the winding back roads, the leaves blow all around my car. They swirl from the road up into the air and make a little colorful leaf tornado right in front of me. There are people out raking them into piles only to have a gust of wind come and blow them all back into the yard! Pumpkin bags are stuffed full of them and I'm sure many a kid has been piling them up simply to jump into the pile and scatter them out once again. Who needs video games when there are leaves on the ground???
As I said earlier, I have taken a couple of 4 day weekends this month and the time was wisely spent outside as much as possible. The temperatures can't decide where they want to be so it's kind of cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon and then chilly come evening. The heater is on at night and then the windows and doors are open during the day. The sunshine and breeze dry my clothes on the line but soon those days will end and I'll be back using the dryer instead.
We packed a bag and took off in the Camaro headed for Fall Creek Falls (you can google it). What a magnificent place to see!! If you don't ever go anywhere else on a vacation, go to this park in October. They have cabins, they have tent or camper camping and there is even an Inn for those of you who prefer to stay inside. Why you would want to stay inside here is beyond me but I know some of you would (Kat, Marcia, Kelly...lol). The road winds around the mountain and the whole way up the leaves are changing, the temperature is slowly dropping and try as you might, you can't see the bottom until you reach the plateau.
We stopped to see the waterfalls and walked a little ways down the nature trail. I wasn't up for a 2 mile hike in the mountains so that little venture was short. But the falls were beautiful and the surroundings were clean and quiet. They have a boat ramp, a gift shop, and a restaurant. There are picnic tables with grills everywhere you look. There are even pavilions you can use by simply giving them a reservation and a deposit which is refunded when you leave, providing you clean up your mess. There are miles and miles of hiking trails and numerous look-out points to stop and take pictures.
I know you're sick of hearing just how beautiful the state of Tennessee is but Fall Creek Falls is the epitome of beautiful and I highly recommend it as a vacation spot for kids and adults of all ages. Bring a jacket because it does get a bit chilly here for you FL weather people! lol Hey, if you decide to vacation here, give us a call, we can make a trip over in just about 2 and half hours. I'll bring the chili!
While the park was an amazing sight to see, the farm holds treasures for the eyes if you prefer not to leave it. Our trees changed colors a bit sooner and they are still in transition though many of them have lost their leaves and the limbs alone are visible. I think it's a pretty cool time of year actually. The squirrels are hunting acorns and hiding them all over the place, including in the glove box of the truck! How the heck do they get in there anyway??
Birds are flying south for the winter in huge flocks against the bright blue background of the sky. I wish I could get a picture of that scene - literally thousands of them fly by over the hills in the front yard. It sounds like the wind is blowing but it's really the birds flying by. The dogs stand on their hind legs barking their heads off when the birds fly by. The birds don't even know they exist.
There are birds that stay of course, and those are the ones cleaning out the feeder on the back porch! I've seen two blue birds perched on it but don't know what kind of birds they are. They don't look like Blue Jays because the feathers on their heads aren't the same. They have black bellies and they aren't very big. The Blue Jays here get enormous and wouldn't be able to perch on that little bird feeder I have. Winter will be a good time to get the bird book back out and see what I can learn about them.
We also have yellow finches that live in the two big oak trees out by the grill. They must have been building their nests the other day because they were busy flying back and forth from the woods to the oak trees over and over again. I even saw one pull a piece of bark off the hitching post and take it back into the oak tree. I'll be on the look-out for baby finches come springtime :) :) :)
Hmmmm maybe they have finch food at the co-op?? I'll just have to check next time I'm by there. If I put out finch food I'm sure to see them more regularly :) :) If I feed them, they will come! LOL
I think I already wrote about my tomato plants making a come-back, but I can't really remember. The plants I bought at the co-op put out a few tomatoes during the growing season but were somewhat of a disappointment over all. Then, just the other day, I was headed out to feed the horses and low and behold, there were tomatoes all over the vines! This time more than there were the first time. We ended up having to pick 4 of them because of a freeze warning (that never came) so fried green tomatoes were up on the menu. I checked the plants yesterday and there are about 15 tomatoes in all. They are small and definitely at risk of a freeze this late in the year but hey, I'll cover them and see how they do. If they never turn red, we'll just have fried green tomatoes again!
All the other garden plants seem to be thriving in these cooler temperatures but I do have to hand water as we haven't had much in the way of rain. The irises over by Dizzy's apartment are all bright green and standing tall - no flowers mind you - just the leaves but always a good sign of things to come. The geraniums got moved inside and they now sit on tables in a sunny location off the front porch. They are blooming like crazy and they brighten up the room with those big, red flowers.
The hyacinths sprouted from the ground but grew no further than that. I'm hoping they'll save their bloom for springtime but there's no way to tell at this point. The day lilies went through a dormant period but now the leaves are bushy and green and very lush and full. I know the spring will bring lots of beautiful day lilies just as it did this year. Now that Dizzy helped me plant some in the new garden, there's no doubt I'll have lots of color in lots of places in the yard. woo hoo!!!
All the mums are blooming. Two plants bloomed with white flowers and yellow centers. Yesterday as we were walking the dogs we noticed that half the blooms had turned purple. I mean purple like the crayon! I don't understand how the plant can be snow white one day and then in just a couple more days, completely turning purple??? Go figure...
As you know it's hunting season here. No - I didn't kill a deer. But I do have plans to :) However, if you remember my luck last hunting season, you shouldn't be too concerned. Although I do have a long distance contact lens for my right eye now so maybe my luck will change. That being said, Wally shot at a deer the other day and we think he just wounded it.
We headed out in the direction of where it ran off into the woods and old Smith came with us. He brought me right up to the little bit of blood that fell and then he was off on a mission. He searched as long as his old legs would carry him and we searched even further. All to no avail. As I said, I think the deer was only wounded because we saw no sign of it after searching about 15 yards into the woods.
We didn't want the animal to suffer so the next morning, we started out again. Clothed in my jo-veralls and my timberland boots, we headed off into the woods. I know we were there because we had a job to do but for me, this was exploring the garden of Eden. I thought I would be turned around and lost in no time but that wasn't the case at all. No matter how far in we went, and we went a long ways in, I still knew approximately where I was and where I would come out depending on which way I headed.
Now I'm not the most coordinated pea in the pod so Wally quickly realized the need for me a walking stick. Man that thing made life much easier! I was tromping through the woods, using my stick to balance myself and rustling up the leaves with it in case of a snake. I was following anything that looked like a trail and loving every minute of it! Wally took off in one direction, leaving me to wander wherever I wanted.
I stayed on the blood trail for a good mile into the woods and old Smith lingered behind, stopping now and then to get a break. He stayed on the high side of the hills while I made my way down into the valleys and back up again. That deer was making some ground! About every 3 or 4 feet I would stop and look out on the ground another 2 or 3 feet around me in search of a droplet to indicate which way to go. Wally started calling me "Running Bear" though I don't know why - I wasn't running at all. LOL
I had my methods and they were pretty well honed after about an hour in the woods. For me my vision was best when squatting down. Imagine how difficult it was to spot a droplet of red when the floor of the woods was covered in all those pretty leaves that have been falling?? Close to impossible I tell ya... but on I went and every so often Wally would come back around and find me. He was always surprised to see me still on the trail. If you've ever been here before, I'll give you an idea of where we were. We started at the top of the hill to the left of the outhouse and worked our way down until we were at the foot of the hill and to the left of the trails at the bottom of the front yard. When we came out into the clearing, we were on the 4 wheeler trail just at the point where you turn right to go to the swimmin hole.
Looking up that hill on a 4 wheeler is pretty exciting because you know it's going to be a cool ride. Looking up that hill on my own two feet... not so much excitement going on. LOL! But I had my walking stick and I was still in the woods - loving the life - so up we started. I want to say I made it a little past half way when I had to take a break. Whew, was I ever winded! Trudging around in the woods was nothing compared to hiking up that hill!
Well, I made it to the gate and you know what comes next... the hill that is the front yard! This one is by far a greater distance than that which I had already travelled. Onward we walked, walking stick in hand, boyfriend by my side, breath getting more and more shallow as upward we went. When finally I had to take a break and sit down, Wally said he would go get the 4 wheeler and come back for me. Thank goodness... I mean, I could have done it but with him willing to do that for me instead, why the heck not take him up on it? LOL I already knew I would be sore the next day...
Back at the cabin we plopped in our chairs and chilled out for a few minutes going over what we found and didn't find. We found tires and wheels that someone had tried to steal but didn't make it out of the woods with them. Wally said it had been years since he had seen them and didn't know what had happened to them. LOL He found some bird feathers and asked Running Bear what she thought that meant. I told him it looked like a bird had lost some feathers to me... hahahahahaha! We found some garbage and a place where someone had put a deer feeder. It was just on the other side of our property but clearly meant to bring the deer down in that direction.
There was nothing we could do about it but we will keep watch on that area to see where they put their deer stand. They can hunt in the opposite direction but hunting in our direction is against the law and it's posted so they know it very well indeed.
It may sound as if we were out in the woods all day when in fact we were only out there for about 4 hours. Well it was Monday and that means picking up my CSA basket in Centerville at 4:00 so we got cleaned up, loaded a cooler and headed for the Diner for a cheeseburger. From there it was off to town! The day was perfect for a ride and my hair was blowing in the wind. The basket had turnips and greens, bok choy, lettuce, red and green peppers, scallions, a tomato (woo hoo!) a bag of mixed greens for sauteing, a bag of potatoes and some little Serrano peppers at the very bottom. It was a heavy basket to say the least!
I'll have to take pictures of the turnips. They are a beautiful, creamy, white color and will soon be made into a turnip casserole and if I have enough (pretty sure I do) I'm planning to make them like you would mashed potatoes... a little milk and butter and lots of salt and pepper! mmm mmm can't wait!
Speaking of greens, turnip greens are in season big time right now. I bought some from Hilda since I didn't know they were coming in my basket and spent the better part of Sunday morning rinsing, cooking and canning them. Yep, that's right. I canned turnip greens to put up for the winter! Oh my what a pretty sight they are sitting on the bar. I have a picture to put on flickr so you can see them and rave about them to all your friends. hahahahahaha!
I wasn't even sure it was an option but I remembered seeing something about leafy greens in my canning book and sure enough, there it was. I opted for not using the canner and have found that if the food is hot enough, the jars will seal just the same. They make take a bit longer but you still get the pleasure of hearing the pop, pop, pop as they seal :) :) :) After 8 jars were done, Wally insisted on us having the last batch for dinner...lol I guess I can understand that since they had been cooking almost all day and the house smelled like it too. No, Kris, turnip greens don't stink... I don't know what you must be thinking of LOL! Maybe the ones you have had just weren't cooked in the right manner?? hahaha...
My days have been filled with all the sights and sounds of fall and it's not over yet. We have a Halloween party to go to this weekend if it's not too cold for me on Saturday and I'm off work on Halloween Monday so maybe I'll get to see some little kiddies out in their costumes. They won't come down to the cabin but we'll be out and about if the day is nice and you know how kids are, they'll get started before dark if given the option!
I hope you have fun at your Halloween parties and I sure hope you take me up on the suggestion to go see Fall Creek Falls on your vacation - you won't regret it.
"Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title." ~From Scooby-Doo
Here's just one more since I liked it when I read it...
"On Hallowe'en the thing you must do
Is pretend that nothing can frighten you
And if somethin' scares you and you want to run
Just let on like it's Hallowe'en fun."
~Author Unknown
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