Season end...

Fall is slowly coming to a close here.  How do I know?  The last two days the cranes have gone over the cabin in droves.  The only sound that trumps the cries of the cranes would probably be the bugle of a bull elk.    I become entranced watching them dip, circle, and dive.  It continues to amaze me how quickly they move despite going in giant loops.  

 I also enjoy the camp robbers.  They are always so curious, friendly, and bold.  We don't have many here at the cabin, but now that the crabapples are soft they have been camping out in the tree.

 I wish I had been faster with the camera.  At one point today there were 5 blue jays in the crabapple tree.  They were so pretty against the yellow leaves of the apple.

 It is a good thing the birds have the crabapple tree, because the squirrel has been hogging the feeder.  

That is about it for here.  I was pretty busy this weekend.  I'm still working on my bushel of apples.  We went duck hunting Saturday morning.  A tale for another time.  It was Ella's first duck hunt.  My nephew is here bow hunting now.  As always it is nice to have company.  I hope you are all keeping busy.  What birds are at your feeders?

Buttoned up...

Well, it was a bummer, but I pulled the less hardy things up and put away the garden decorations.  I am officially ready for winter.  I am grateful for a beautiful year and have been lucky enough to share it with others.  

 As you can see, the outside veggie bed is ready for it's winter sleep.  The greenhouse is also put to bed.  I picked the last of the tomatoes and peppers.  All that is left the big unidentified plants (cabbage that doesn't have heads?) and carrots.  My carrots germinated so late they are just tiny.  I have decided to leave them in and see what happens next year.  I also pulled the tea garden wash tub inside.  The calendula and mint are still looking good.  

 My potting bench is neatly tucked into the barn.  On the top shelf are jars of seeds.  In the corner of the photo is the parsley from the greenhouse.  I potted it up and will take it into the house.  

 I have to show these amazing mussel shells I found while we were duck hunting.  I was retrieving a duck, when I found a spot that was loaded with these monster shells.  Obviously the water level had gone down enough that the raccoons had a heyday.  I am sure they are fat, dumb, and happy.  The photo to the right isn't the best, I just wanted to show the shells in relation to something.  I had no idea they could get that big on something like the Belle Fouche River.  One will make a perfect holder for my homemade lotion bars.

Here is a smattering of my projects.  I totally overboiled my caramel apple jam and it solidified.  I haven't done that in a long time.  I saved it in the end.  I was making caramel apple applesauce (no one has ever accused me of healthy eating), so I just added the solid jam to the applesauce and vola some super awesome jam.  I also canned 6 pints of apple cider.  Then the beekeeper stopped by and dropped off 8 quarts of honey.  Yes, dad, 8 quarts.  I bottled 9 bottles of my Red Letter Raspberry wine.  Then I went out and picked that little jar of rosehips.  I used the really cool dehydrator setting on my oven to dry them out for tea.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the parsley will make it through the winter.  Parsley is one of my favorite herbs.

I know I normally take a photo of all my creations, but I've been giving things away as fast as I make them. I was happy to host my uncle and his wife this past week and more company is on the way.   Our fall has been amazing and I am soaking it in.  I have spent several wonderful hours in the treestand and out duck hunting with my husband.  I am a lucky woman and thankful for all I have.  

I hope your fall has been plentiful and filled with pleasant company.

I will survive...

We finally had a frost.  I am not complaining.  It has been one of the most beautiful falls.  I have a few stalwart flowers that are hanging tough.  They have made it though a dry summer and want to compete with the leaves for a grand show.

 Sooner or later I will stop taking photos of this rose, but I can't help myself.  She is a real lady.

 Every year his phox waits until the bitter end and every year I threaten it with, "If you don't bloom moving you off the front stage."  It listens and it blooms.  Who says you can't talk to your plants.  

 My mother has the most beautiful mums, while I am mum challenged.  This is the only one that has survived the winters here, but I can't say it is putting on a very nice display.  Meanwhile, my asters are always spectacular.   They hide quietly in the beds all year and then, BAM, here they are.

 I found this sad little bloom in my rose bed.  That bed did awful this year.   It just couldn't hold up against the dry weather, despite all of our watering.   

 These are wonderful little volunteer snapdragons.   I love the colors.  The original were a deep red.  They withstood the frost just fine.

 The sedum and black eyed susans are on the downswing.

 The little violas are holding their own.  I don't remember planting them, but I am glad they came up.  

 You would think we stained the barn to match the maple.  We didn't, but they are a perfect match.

These guys are competing with the leaves for color.  I'd say they are doing pretty good.  

I'm afraid that is all I have.  I am miserable with a cold.  A real bummer on such a wonderful weekend.  I hope everyone else is able to fight off the frost and let fall linger a bit longer.

Photo safari...

I have been super busy.  I gathered seeds, took photos, failed at caramel apple jam,  went bow hunting, and wandered around the yard taking photos.   

 These bees are were fighting over the hollyhocks.

 It is rare we have a monarch butterfly here.  This one did laps around the lawn and for fun dove through the sprinkler.

 This wooly caterpillar was headed towards the peak of the cabin.  He probably thought it was a wonderful tree.  I rescued him from disappointment and let him go in the woods.

That is what I saw on my yard safari.  What is wandering around your yard?

Autumn Splendor...

 Ok, so  you were expecting bright colors and instead you see this shy guy blending in.  This ruffed grouse is usually sitting on his log when I jog past.  My observant bird dog has yet to see him.   That is fine with me.  It is fun to see him looking so miffed that we are interrupting his day.  The rest of the photos are an attempt to capture the beauty around our place.  The colors are so vibrant.  Usually by now the snow and wind have chased the leaves away.  This weekend was super windy, but the colors held.  Fall is by far my favorite time of the year.  "When every leaf is a flower, but only so for an hour."  Luckily Robert Frost was wrong this year and we have enjoyed weeks of blooms. 

You have to love cell phones.  I never would have carried the camera with me as I got on the roof to clean the gutters.  It was fun to observe the world from a different perspective.

 Back on solid ground, I tried to capture the autumn splendor.   This is the best show our little Fall Fiesta Maple has ever put on.

 It just makes you want to wander off into the woods.

 It is rare we get to see this much red.  The red ozier dogwood and the sedum add wonderful highlights to our normal golden colors.

 This Music Box Rose is putting on some fall fireworks of its own.  It can't stop blooming.  I don't mind.  My only regret is it doesn't have much of a scent.  It does make up for it in blooms.

 Our one little apple tree is laden with apples.  I have canned 6 pints of apple cider, froze apple pie filling for 6 pies, made two apple pies to eat, and one apple crisp.  It hasn't even made a dent.  This is the best they have ever tasted.   I plan on making some Dutch apple pie jam, apple syrup, and maybe even try to dehydrate some in my oven.  

That is it for the fall frolic.  I hope you enjoyed the tours.  I am anxious to see how long it will last.  The winds this weekend, didn't strip the leaves so hopefully we can enjoy a few more weeks.  How are the colors where you are?

Something old is new again and project people...

My husband and I are project people.  Rarely does a weekend go by that we aren't doing something.  This weekend it was the bell.  We bought it at an auction in 2014.  It has been driving me nuts as it is difficult to do anything with, because it doesn't have a bottom yoke.  

I looked and looked, but finally my husband and I put our heads together and came up with an alternate solution.  It would require some wood working on my part.  I would be lying if I said I was afraid to use power tools.  I love using them to create things.

We had some 2x4's leftover from the barn project and I was itching to put them to use.  It took one prototype, before I got the plans right.  That whole measure twice cut once rule never sunk in with me.  Measure once, realize your mistakes and cut twice more is how I roll.  I did finally get it right.  Then I had a little stain station set up.       The bell is waiting patiently in the back while everything dries. 

If you look closely in the photo below you will notice that I used the original braces on the bottom of the bell stand.  That goes back to the cutting rule and angles.  I was never very good at geometry.     Believe it or not, it is sturdy.

I am pretty excited about the outcome.  Finally, it will be useful and out of the way when I'm shoveling snow.  I am happy with how solid it turned out.  I'm not the greatest engineer, but when my husband and I put our heads together we can usually solve a problem.

 Can you see it tucked neatly in the corner?  Now I can ring the bell when supper is on.  It feels good to bring new life to something that wasn't being used.  And that my friends was my weekend project.  Are you a project person?

Remember when?

Remember long ago when I posted that someday we would build a barn?

First we cut a few trees...

Then smoothed things out...

Then a fire pit and retaining wall.

Now da daaa done..

 One tractor barn...

 Looking to the east.

 Can't you just see a barn dance?  The upper door rolls to the side.

 It had to have a traditional barn door.

 From the upper window facing the cabin.

 From the other upper window facing the freshly mowed orchard.

 A close up of my pulley.  I think the contractor put it upside down, but I'm not climbing up there to change it.

There you have it.  It took a year or two, but it happened.  Around here we take our time, save our money, and slowly but surely get things done.  I am happy to have that project finished.    What is a big project that took you awhile before it happened?