Reversing the moves

It's done.  We've closed the upstairs hatch for winter.  I looked back and found a post from March 29th recording our transition from last winter to springtime- as marked by the annual opening of the hatch.  And now, a scant 6 months later, the hatch has been closed again.

No surprise either, to see that most of the laying hens are choosing to hunker down indoors instead of ranging out in the splendors of the wild world.  I haven't warmed up any of the snowmachines yet, but I suppose that's close to next on our list.

Ben drained the big water pump today too... it looks like we're hurtling toward the inbetween season at maximum velocity.  With these temperatures, the 4-wheelers will become less and less reliable.   And this fall, I have the milkhouse/cheeseroom to winterize as well.   

Like my father-in-law has been heard to say, "don't let the grass grow under your feet".  Gotta go!  It's snowing on the other side of the pass!

And so it goes

Brrr.  Dug out winter hats by dinner last night, so we could finish chores without freezing our fingers.  You know the old saying, "if your toes are cold, put on a hat", right?  That reminds me of a winter 15 years ago in my uninsulated yurt... sleeping with 4 hats on and praying for morning.

But all that is water under the bridge, stories from yesteryear that made me who I am today.  And who I am today is cold, because the temperature really plummeted and there is this hideous windstorm sucking all warmth we can generate.  This morning all the outdoor water is frozen... chicken waterers, the big goat waterer, the hoses that feed water to our cabin from the big elevated tank.  Humph.  

I went out with my headlamp well past dark to check on the meatbirds.  The wind was already coming up and it was cold!  I was delighted to see that everyone seemed to have space and shelter, but it didn't stop me from worrying about them every time I woke in the night.

This morning I found one smallish one squished, and another dead far from the other birds- more likely a heart incident than anything else.  Not bad considering the dramatic climate shift, on top of the fact that I released the last meatchicks yesterday morn.

And today is another day.  Chores are already done except for milking, my family is still asleep, the woodstove is cranking.  Make a wish the sun warms things enough to thaw hoses so we can switch gears to a more winterly regime.  Cheers!

Here it comes

Winter is in the air.  I heard it's even been snowing in the Copper River valley today.  I believe it, too.  That wind is nippy today, even in the bright sun.  The meat chicks are really hunkering down.  I found a month old meatbird whose leg was stuck between a pipe and a board this morning.  He has surface frostbite across most of his breast and the sides of his back.  Poor guy.  I think I'm going to have to put him down.

I guess we're starting to get ready for the shift of seasons.  I've been prepping the chicken house for supplemental light, and it won't be long before I'll have to put together their water heater for the long dark.  The main feeder in the goat barn is getting revamped... there's not alot for the critters to chew on out in the yard anymore.  The summer is past.  Even the potato vines have frosted.

So here we go.  Already, we have a fire in the woodstove most mornings to take the chill off.  My 3 year old was busy this morning trying out her winter socks and snow pants.  I better dig out our boots and parkas too.  A new round of headlamps is in the mail, the kindling box is filling up, and things are getting put away.  Sigh.    

On hold

Well, I guess that's it.  Our lambs are gone, our meatbirds are all sold-in-advance, and as of today- our goat herdshares are officially sold out.  There are still bucklings that need to go, and egg sales will continue to climb, but otherwise it looks like we'll be in a holding pattern... at least for the time being.

Thanks Alaska for choosing Alaska grown!

Common threads

I was just walking around the yard this morning, thinking about our summer and how slow the birds have grown this year.  It rained alot, and that's putting it mildly.  Now we've broken out into a crisp dry fall, but it was a long time coming.  

Then I came inside to do my computer work and compile orders and browse a few blogs... and I saw that the folks down in Washington have had similar challenges this year.  Bruce King at Ebey Farm had just posted this morning on the same note.

So, as I went on in my reading...I was really psyched to see that Jessica at Olde Sow Farm and Creamery has figured out how to have a cheesemaking dairy and have a baby.  That's something that I'm aspiring to do, but I haven't figured out how to do both!

Yay for inspiration.  It's good to know that there are other farmers with the same obstacles who are finding their way through the maze.  The internet is a pretty cool thing... otherwise I'd just be up here on the mountain, unlinked.  Life is good.