Hey, I'm Back!!

It seems like it has been years since I had the time to sit down and blog! As much as I love this time of year, I also get a little stressed by the work load that falls on me when it gets cold and dreary.

Here is my to do list around the farm and yard:

1. Pickled carrots are all in their jars, looking so fresh with the orange carrots, green dill and the garlic...but the beets are still in the garden. Two rows... and it is cold out there now, and I don't want to go out and get them. If it does not warm up, I might just pretend that they do not exist and let them winter in the garden. No one will notice until spring, when it is time to rotortill and then I will just act surprised!
2. All of the flowers have been killed in the last frost, and most of them are of the type that will produce 2 million seedlings in the spring, if I just leave them there. All of the heads must be cut down and disposed of, before the November winds blow the seeds everywhere. Trouble is, I have acres of flower beds!
3. I still have a tree and a couple of perennials that are not in the ground. They must be planted!
4. All of the hoses must be drained and hung on the fences, so that they survive the cold.
5. Our old farm dog must make the last and final trip to the vet. She is not going to make it through the winter, and must be put down before it gets cold. I am not looking forward to that duty. I am the only one that will take her. Rex has been with us for 17 years. She really has been around as all of the kids grew up and has been on some pretty wild adventures with them. We lost Daniel in a grain field when he was two and if it was not for Rex, it might have had a very bad outcome! We owe her...
6. My house needs to be decorated for fall. That should take a couple of days!!
7. The fifth wheel trailer needs to be winterized after our trip to Creston for Thanksgiving. I hate that job! Bringing in everything that will freeze is a pain in the ass. Then you forget to put it back in the spring. There should be people for this.
8. My car has to be cleaned for the last time. I do not clean it in the winter. I don't even drive it much either, as I opt for one of the trucks when the roads are bad.
9. All of the apples have to be picked up off the ground in the yard. It is very bad to leave them there, under the apple trees, to rot - causes all types of mould and blight problems for the trees next season as the spores splash back up onto the tree when it rains in the spring. Millions of apples to pick up!!
10. I need to wash all of the windows after the flies are gone and at least be able to see out of them. I hate flies!!! This has been a very bad fly season down here this fall. Washing windows in the cold is one of my least favorite jobs, so the thought of cold water running down your sleeves to your armpits is just too much and I have procrastinated for weeks. Maybe I should just wait for the snow to scour the windows clean!

Just thinking about this list makes me tired. I am going to tackle it tomorrow, right now I am going to ignore all of the work and go scrapbook!