A Barrowful of Squash

Today did not exactly go as planned but I did manage to squeeze in an epic squash and turnip harvest. After our first hard frost last night, it was time.

With everything edible out of the chicken run garden, the hens were once again permitted access. They did a fantastic job at cleaning up all of the old tomatoes!

A barrow full of squash is not too shabby!

 As the sun sets on a very, very challenging September, I am looking forward to a more manageable October. Onwards and upwards!

Re-focusing

I have been working hard over the last several weeks to re-focus on what makes me happy. I know that forest walks, daily farm blogs, and healthy eating are all parts of this and so have been making an effort to prioritize these things. Liam missed the school bus today looking for his glasses which gave me a perfect opportunity to walk the Beaver Pond trail before work. The leaves a just starting to change colour!

 

Ravenous

When the chickens are out of food for two hours but they say that they are so hungry that their farmer has to make a special trip all the way to Kinburn to buy more right now. Drama queens.

Glimmer

Today was the first day in a larger number of days where I saw a glimmer of light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel.

Rainy Day Monday

My encouraging thought to myself during this morning's rainy day walk will hopefully get me through the week: "There is more than one way to get where you want to go. The important thing is to keep moving." How's that for self-motivation?

A Sunday Morning Stroll

It was such a beautiful day today, the boys and I got outside for a relaxing walk along the Special Path. There were so many things to see from cow to flowers. And we had many adventures, as always. This time it involved Ali losing his boot off the bridge and me having to fish it out of the creek with a stick. We also stopped and asked a neighbour's tree that was loaded with huge juicy apples, if she would share with us. The tree obliged and we were grateful. I am so thankful for this time outside with my two littlest boys. I am going to make an effort to get outside for more lunch hours walks along this path before the snow flies.

 

Double Downtown Day

It is quite rare for us to head downtown and even rarer for us to go downtown twice in one day! As volunteers with the National Art Centre (NAC)'s SPHERE festival, Liam and I participated as performance artists in the Beekeeper's Procession from the Museum of Nature to the rooftop garden of the NAC. This walk and meditation with violin accompaniment was an artistic call to action for increased attention to the climate crisis and loss of biodiversity, including pollinators like our honeybees. Liam was the youngest beekeeper in the procession and garnered a lot of attention. He even got interviewed for a documentary being made about the event which he said made him feel "famous" like his daddy. I treated him to a special bubble tea treat afterwards to acknowledge that his grown up behaviour is worthy of a grown up treat.

After heading home for supper and to put the animals and Alistair to sleep, the big boys and I returned downtown once again to attend the NAC Orchestra's performance of Become Ocean. This concert was Liam and Seamus' first experience with classical music. Our seats were front row center (literally). They did really well, though Seamus fell peacefully asleep about two thirds of the way through. I was really proud of them. Job well done!

Bringing out the Flannel

 It can’t be time to bring out the flannel pyjamas yet, can it? Maybe…I sure am cozy on this frosty fall morning!

Considering I could be with Ian, crouching silently in a duck blind in the crisp morning air, my cup of hot coffee and flannels look especially inviting.

Carp Fair on a Friday

We have a busy Saturday planned so we headed out to experience the 2022 Carp Fair this evening after school/work. We have never been on a Friday before. The lines for the rides were crazy long but there were less people for everything else. We had Huntley burgers for supper, cotton candy for dessert, and the boys did ALL the things (except wait for hours in line for rides - they played Whack a Mole instead). The Fair did a great job of taking my mind off work which was very much appreciated. Thanks Carp Fair organizers for a lovely evening. 

Thinking of Frost?

I think things might be about to get frosty around here. Some final flower photos (and one mushroom) from around the farm before they are no longer so beautiful.

 

"New"

I have never been so glad to hear the sound of the vacuum. Within the last 24 hours, our TV, dryer, and vacuum have all broken. Sigh. We are so grateful to have our very own Mr. Fix-it in residence. Second hand replacements or replacement parts have already been ordered or picked up. The dryer is still in shambles but our "new" TV is in the van waiting to be installed and I just heard Ian plug in our "new" vacuum head. The dryer will be back up and running once the "new" refurbished motor arrives from Montreal. In the meantime, it will be sunny tomorrow so the laundry is going out on the clothes line!

Hard Work

This morning I took a minute to appreciate the beauty of someone else's hard work. You never know who's watching, so here's to hoping someday soon all my hard work will catch the attention of someone who takes the time to appreciate it.

A Great Big Squash

I pulled a page from Mike's cookbook today and made squash and kielbasa soup for supper, I used a huge butternut squash I found in the back garden. Supper was a winner. Thinking of you, Mike.

I still have half the squash left, raw but peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks. I may not be Mrs. McNosh but what should I do with my great big squash?

Food Coma

Liam was my super farm helper today. We mucked out all the barns during this morning's rainstorm. The chickens, goats and sheep are now clean, warm and dry.

We spent the rest of this rainy day cooking up a gourmet French-inspired supper. Ian made French onion soup as our appetizer with 6 lb of our onion crop.

Liam and I harvested and roasted veggies (butternut squash, eggplant, carrots, and onions) alongside a rooster from the freezer covered with homemade bacon and a generous sprinkle of Herbes de Provence.

Everyone is now in a food coma, including Charlotte (and she just ate dog food)!