We had our first dusting of snow yesterday....right about on time too ....in normal years SW Virginia gets it's first flurries around Halloween. We also had our first frost about dead on average ...a few weeks ago. So far so good for a "normal" winter. (This follows a more "normal" summer with the temperature only getting to the 90 degree mark one time.) Jeff and I are digging up some cross country skiis in preparation. I love (real) southwest Virginia weather. If you don't like it, wait 'til tomorrow..it'll be different. ;)
This was a good day for making use of all the apples and pears Nik and I have been picking off the neighbor's trees. I made apple bread, apple butter, pear butter, and started drying some apples by the wood stove. I also gathered rose hips and helped Jeff move the wood pile closer to the house. Good blustery day work.

Fall Market

Mt. Rogers thistle

I had to get one picture in. :)

Poultry and Dead grass

For once I am going to write what I am in to these days instead of pictures. But I'll keep it short...so.....I am thinking of raising broilers, egg layers, meat ducks, egg ducks, pheasants, and turkeys. They all somewhat go together although most of these I won't be able to start until next March. Meanwhile I have pens to build...which means :) , I have lumber all over my yard. OK, OK I won't try all these at once...but I think they are all good ideas. Come to find out....nearby restaurants want to buy locally grown and raised food but can't find it in enough quantity. Here I come to fill the gap....OK dreaming on my four acres. I also I am considering buying a second milk cow....but I do need to start building the barn to milk them in. Which reminds me of all the projects in our old house here....floors to sand, walls to paint, furniture to build, doors to make, insulation to put in....oh, goodness, we need to start cutting firewood! And......I have started to cover the only flat section of our yard in newspaper, compost, and mulch to try to kill grass by springtime...so, I can grow greens galore for our greens lacking farmers market (plus I know a restaurant that wants spinach). I plant to build a 14' X 20' high tunnel that I can move to two or three different places..this will probably be a 3 year project to get established. Plus I have been planting greens in mom's garden (little does she know when she is on vacation) because I want winter greens for myself. And I don't have anywhere else to plant them. Plus she just plain ol' has a nice garden. So while I have been scheming how to get 50 dozen eggs a week, I thought...boy oh boy mom and dad have a nice place. They need chicken pens too!!! And, (ha, once again, little do they know) a couple of high tunnels where they are putting in new gardens for the GREAT great Depression. So I have been scheming about this and that and really not accomplishing it. Except for a yard full of lumber and a pile of newspaper. I did try to keep it short. Whew, I am glad we are headed to the beach for a week.

P.S. I almost forgot the blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and other assorted sun loving fruit and berries that I want to plant on our south facing slope. And the hundred of black locusts to plant as living fence posts. And the more scientific compost pile in the making. And the Mount Rogers nature guidebook to write. Ok I'm done...for now.

First Frost

We had our first frost of the year this morning. If you don't care that is fine. I couldn't think of a better place to record it than my blog. This way I can keep track and always know where I wrote it down. Or maybe I'll still forget, but when I do remember at least I can find it.

Picks from A Nature Hike

The Three of Mine