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And somehow I spent all week BOTH watching snow melt and paint dry LOL Planning with and around the weather can be a dicey affair. It is rarely all sunshine and roses (even on a flower farm) and you need to work in whatever weather there is even if it is uncomfortable, but when your workplace is frozen and then covered in snow, even the hardiest of us must retreat and wait. Frozen soil can be harder than some rocks (I used to study permafrost) and plants don't appreciate being planted into it. So for now I get work done inside cleaning and tidying (after a growing season of no cleaning it was nice to get it done) and working on organizing and painting projects that I've been dreaming about since I first moved in three years ago! Last winter I painted the interior living room wall a gentle pale blue (with some whimsical mountains as decoration behind the wood stove complete with Kitty Cloud shelves). This year I'm going big time by painting my bedroom, a complete bathroom paint and wallpaper makeover to cover the dingy cat pee pee (not my cat) stained walls, and repairing and painting the walls and drywall ceiling of the attic office so that I won't always use my couch as my office. Plus hopefully painting a few inherited furniture pieces that have seen the ravages of time! So much painting! So little time! But this weather gave me a head start and kept me from fretting about not having the bulbs in yet too much! And, of course, the microgreens are safe under their attic lights so they will be in full supply this week. The eggs are in shorter supply as this cold didn't help their recovery after their molt but it has pushed me to move up the winterizing dates for their huts and the extra warmth and light that affords really gets them to get their butts in gear, so there should be more golden yolk goodness to go around in a few weeks!  Deep powder is so lovely, but since it's a little early and I still have some fall bulbs to get in the ground I am happy it will melt away but I hope it returns for the rest of winter. ☃️⛷□⛸ I didn't even bother clearing all the paths as I really enjoyed trudging through it! □  While it was -10F outside Hella found the best place to curl up for nap in front of the wood stove! With that kinda cold, even the ducks were reluctant to venture forth, but a little sun helps warm it all up so all get a chance for a snack! (a little corn scratch helps too!)  With the outdoor work put on hold until the soil is free and unfrozen, I had time to get some inside painting and tidying jobs done! A fresh coat of a soothing pale lavender in my room helps me relax and since it covers the yellow knotty pine that was added probably in the early 90's, the 100 year old cabin logs get to take center stage! My reading nook got rearranged so I can start tackling the piles of books that I hope to get through at some point but only after I fold the pile of laundry on my chair! And I was able to install some new shelves just for Leo's final resting place so that every morning when I get ready I can remember all the joy he brought to my life and how grateful I am that I got as many years as I did with him! (I adopted him as a senior doggie when he was 8 and he passed away in summer 2019 from the dreaded kidney failure at 15)  Once it warmed up a little and the snow began to give way, the barn hens revolted and all jumped out the coop (their run was filled with snow so it was closed off) and through the barn door! So I let them pace the edges of grass that poked through as the sun worked its melting magic!  Sunny days and frigid nights make for the best icicles! I would be lying if I said I didn't carry it around for a good while imagining it was a lightsaber, or a sword, or a magical wand and maybe try to challenge a few hens to a duel, but I had no takers. In an effort to speed along the snow melting process, I sprinkled some old wood ash onto the beds and much like dust on a glacier it absorbs more of the sun's heat and thus melts the snow faster! Which is bad news for a glacier but good news for the garlic and tulip bulbs that still need to be planted. Plus, I emptied an ash bin so I have space to empty the ash from my overflowing wood stove! Plus plus, ash is a good soil amendment, just don't put a lot on. There is sometimes a method to the madness!  Hella hopes to find the mice and rats that lurk around the old structures and she sometimes finds a perfect kitty cat sized space to sit!  Preparation and planning are keys to success and even if I didn't prepare and plan enough to get the garlic in before this snow arrived, I sure am ready to go once it leaves! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at Libby this Friday from 12-1230pm! I'll be at Troy this Friday from 1-130pm!
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AuthorI'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog. Archives
December 2021
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