October 25, 2021

 Hi to everyone! 

We're starting to see the snow sticking around the peaks and this next Sunday we're supposed to get a real snowstorm! After a very warm Summer and a nice Fall I'm ready for the cold! It's nice to get out the winter blankets out of mothballs and air them out. I know it's weird but I like the smell of mothballs because it means winter to me. 

The crops were okay this year. We didn't get many cherries but there were enough apples that I got all the pies I needed to put up for the year. I thought about buying some frozen cherries for the pies but it's like cheating to me to do that. The blackberries from along the creek didn't last very long but we did make some nice ice cream with them. 

This last year my big cooking experiment was Bolognese sauce and I have it down now. The thing is to be patient and let it sauté on a low to medium heat to reduce it. You have to stay with it and stir frequently so it doesn't scorch. 

My next experiment will be Carbonara sauce. My first effort was too dry and I didn't use enough Parmesan cheese. The next effort will use more cream and more cheese and I'm hoping for a better result. 

It's also interesting that with shipping being a problem and prices going up that I have more orders for eggs! I was expecting people to order less from me and not more so this is a nice surprise! My flock is right now around five hundred birds with most of them being Wyandottes of mixed breeding. The Wyandottes do pretty good in the cold and they lay well. My best layers are still my leghorns and Rhode Island Reds but those girls don't like the snow so much and they tend to stop laying when the skies get dark. 

We sold off our bison earlier this year and for a few weeks we had some goats and sheep on the ranch just to get the grass down. I miss seeing the bison but at the same time it's nice to be able to go out on the ranch and not worry about getting charged by one of them. They can get scary at times. I have no idea if we'll run cattle or bison again. 

The kids are doing well. All through this thing with the Chinese flu we've been fine. Aside from the usual colds, allergies, and runny noses everyone has been fine. 

Steve is home for the season and not looking to go back to work until the spring. I am so happy to have him home and it's weird to sometimes have the anxiety of wanting to get things ready for him to leave and then realize that he's not leaving! It's really great and I'm looking forward to the day he retires and stops working away from home. 

How are all of you doing? For those who email me I am sorry but I don't check the email very much anymore. Life is too busy it seems. But it's busy in a good way! 

Hugs, 

Megan