9/3/26  If you see someone without a smile give them one of yours.

     Sunshine, calm, 46 degrees.  Sunshine today, a NNW breeze, high 64, low 36.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a SE breeze, high 64, low 50.

Monday morning showers, a WSW wind, high 56, low 41.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, a strong WNW wind, high 56, low 36.  Sunshine Wednesday, a SW breeze, high 60, low 45.  Partly cloudy Thursday and Friday, stiff SSW breezes, highs 69 and 66, lows about 44.  Partly cloudy next Saturday, a WNW wind, high 60, low 41.  Partly cloudy next Sunday and Monday, brisk west breezes, highs 63, lows 43 and 48. Showers Tuesday the 13th, a strong NNW breeze, high 56, low 39. Partly cloudy the 14th and 15th, brisk NW breezes, high 56, lows 39.  Perhaps some showers the 16 and Saturday the 17th, brisk NW breezes, highs 56, lows 38.

    Yesterday was an eventful day.  Maybe a tenth of an inch of rain late in the afternoon.  First thing I did was bring the rest of the onions in the house.  There were just enough left for our winter.  No onions left on the stand.  Plenty of garlic left.  Then I cleaned the nest boxes and filled them with soft hay.  The hens immediately started pulling the hay out of the bottom nexts to see if there was anything good to eat.  So I spread some on the floor.

    RJHeating was swamped with work and not sure when they could deliver pellets.  So Bekah and Jay got a ton of pellets.  RJ's is just down the road, they made two trips to make it easy on the truck.

    Kaden is building a garage.  Bekah and Jay had just unloaded the last load of pellets when Sally Jo called and said the cement trucks were on their way.  Lil Andrew was helping and Ashley's husband Jake came over from Ripley.  Kaden had scheduled the pour for Friday afternoon because that was when Jake could come.  Jake has lots of experience in concrete work and Kaden didn't.  Jake was back at 7:30 last night to heop Kaden with the finishing.

     Everyone was here having pizza when the call came that a neighbor kid had rolled his dump truck.  He graduated with Sally Jo and Kaden.  I was headed to the doctor's in Dover, I had to go the back way.  the kids thought of me, they let me know Owen was ok.  He took out a power pole, the road was closed for hours.  That pole is always a new one so many people hit it.  When I got home I got a call that there was a prescription for me at the drugstore.  The detour was a dirt road.  Doug came in just as I was leaving and told me to watch out, people were driving on the detour like it was Route !!.   They sure were!.

    When I got home Bekah had the cream churning.  The cows are on hay now so churning takes longer and the churn was full, eight pounds of butter.  It is still yellow but not the bright yellow it is when the cos are on grass.

    Today is a beautiful day.    They are picking the rest of the squash today.  There are two geraniums in the nursery that I've had my eyeon, today they come in the house.  For some reason they got a slow start and are just now starting to bloom.  They'll look lovely on the wintersill this winter.  I'm sure Kaden is admiring his floor this morning!

   May your day be blessed, Sally

 10/2/26  “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another.” (Colossians 3:12)

Cloudy, a light east breeze, 62 degrees.  Rain today, a west breeze, high of 69.  Clearing after midnight, a low of 47.  Sunshine tomorrow, a NNW breeze, high 65, low 36. Partly cloudy Sunday, a brisk SE breeze, high 64, low 46.  Rain Monday, a strong WSW breeze, high 56, low 41.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, a strong WNW breeze, high 57, low 38.  Mostly sunny  Wednesday, a WSW breeze, high 64, low 44.  Partly cloudy Thursday, a stiff SSW breeze, high 70, low 45.  Partly cloudy next Friday, a stiff west breeze, high 67, low 46.  Partly cloudy next Saturday, a  NW wind, high 60, low 40.  Partly cloudy next Sunday, a stiff WSW breeze, high 68, low 46. Cloudy Monday the 12th, a stiff west breeze, high 58, low 40.  Partly cloudy the next four days, brisk NW breezes, highs in the upper fifties, lows 37 to 40.

Times change. Money systems are unreliable, and so are political systems. Knowing how to draw your daily sustenance from the land is extremely valuable, and it provides peace and security in changing times.Tradition School of Skills.  This knowledge is what I want to be part of my legacy.  The Tradition Skills summit will give me ways to be more self-sufficient and help me help my family.  I attended last year and I'll be online watching it again this year.  There is always something new to learn from the event whether you have acreage or a lot in town.

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                                                                       October 12-16, 2026
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         When the leaves start to fall it is the best time to feed your trees 
(this is when they pull in nutrients for the winter and spring months).  Farmer's Almanac  A ring of compost or organic fertilizer around the trees, especially the fruit trees.

      Some loads of hay went out of the haymow for delivery the last few days.  I'm going out to bag up the fines spilled for the hens before the rain starts.  May your day be blessed, Sally

 10/1/26  We should teach our children how to pray, make something, fix something, grow something, and be content with what they have.

    Dense fog, 5 degrees. Sun this afternoon, high 76, a SSW breeze.  Tonight's low 61.  Rain tomorrow afternoon becomes partly cloudy overnight. A west breeze, high 72, low 47.  Sunshine Saturday, a NW breeze, high 66, low 38.  Mostly sunny Sunday, a SE breeze, high 65, low 49.  Rain Monday, a stiff SW breeze, high 59, low 40.  Partly cloudy Tuesday, strong WNW wind, high 56, low 35.  The frost warning is now a frost advisory.  Sunshine Wednesday, a brisk WSW breeze, high 63, low 42. Partly cloudy next Thursday, a brisk SSW breeze, high 69, low 45.  Partly cloudy next Friday through Wednesday the 14th with stiff NW breezes, highs in the lower sixties to upper fifties. lows about 40 except for 46 Sunday the 11th.

     Enjoy the warmth this afternoon.  Up here on the hill we may not get a frost next week unless the low temperatures drop back to yesterday's forecast.  Beyond five days the forecasts haven't been very reliable!

     Most of us have hostas, they are beautiful, hardy to 40 below and versatile plants. Hummingbirds love to feed on their blossoms.   Their roots need to be well hydrated to winter well.  But slugs like to fill the leaves with holes.  I don't have much problem with slugs because after a hard frost I cut off the dead foliage and clean it and the ground around the plant making sure there is nothing slugs or their eggs can overwinter in.  .Then I mulch around the plant with straw or pine needles.  Not on the plant.  Even though I only leave a couple inches of stem, mice might make a winter home in them if they are covered.    Come spring I like to plant impatiens in the mulch around the hosta.  If hostas need to be divided it is better to divide them in the spring.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/30/26 As we bid farewell to the first of the "ber" months, may October bring you beauty, inspiration, and simple joys.

Cloudy, calm, 53 degrees.  Some sun today, a gentle WNW breeze, high 70. low 52. Partly cloudy tomorrow, a SSW breeze, high 76, low 60.   Rain Friday, a WSW breeze, high 74, low 49.  Sunshine Saturday, a stiff NW breeze, high 66, low 37.  Partly cloudy Sunday, a SSE breeze, high 64, low 46.  Partly cloudy Monday, a  strong west breeze, high 61, low 36,  possible frost advisory.  Sunshine Tuesday, a NW wind, high 52, low 30.  FROST WARNING  Partly cloudy next Wednesday through Tuesday, October 14th.  Stiff WSW breezes next Wednesday, high 60, low 45. A strong SW breeze next Thursday, high 66, low 44.  Stiff NW breezes Friday the 9th through the 14th. Friday's high 62, then the highs will be in the upper fifties with lows around 40.

   The ground soaked up that three inches, there are just a few small puddles in the driveway.  The sump pump only ran once, when Bekah tripped it to make sure it was working.

   The forecast says to pick everything and put it in the greenhouse to ripen.  We usually wait until the last weekend in October to plant the garlic.  This year the forecast is cool enough to plant it when there is time.  Forecasters are predicting a stormy winter.  Rain? Ice? snow?

This is the month to think ahead and be prepared for a hard winter.  It is better to be prepared and not need than to need and not be prepared.

    May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/29/26  Next time you admire the wonderful things God has made remember you are one of them.

    We've gotten three inches of rain from this storm, more rain is forecast for this morning.  Cloudy this afternoon, high 60, low 42. A stiff NNE breeze today.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a gentle NW breeze, high 69, low 51.  Partly cloudy Thursday, a SSW breeze, high 77, low 60.  Showers Friday, a west breeze, high 70, low 49.  Sunshine Saturday, a brisk NW breeze, high 67, low 39.  Perhaps some PM showers Sunday, a brisk SE breeze, high 64, low 47.  Perhaps some morning showers Monday, a strong west breeze, high 63, low 36. Possible frost advisory Monday night.  Partly cloudy next Tuesday, a NW wind, high 54, low 31.  Frost warning Tuesday night. Mostly sunny next Wednesday, a west breeze, high 59, low 36.  Partly cloudy next Thursday, a stiff SSW breeze, high 66, low 46. Possible showers Friday the 9th and Saturday the 10th.  A stiff east breeze Friday, high 64, low 44.  A strong NW breeze Saturday, high 60, low 41.  Partly cloudy Sunday the11th, a stiff WNW breeze, high 61, low 41.  Possible showers Monday the 12th, a stiff NW breeze, high 59, low 38.  Partly cloudy Tuesday the 13th, a stiff NW breeze, high 59, low 40.

   Forecasters had a hard time with this storm.  At one point it dropped from the original three inch to a half inch.  We are thankful the orginal forecast amount was right.   We are also thankful that the winds weren't as strong here.  There were a few power outages, our lights only flickered.Our sump pump hasn't run but we are watching the cellar closely because water is starting to seep in. Usually three inches of rain would have the pump running steady.

   Our main accomplishment yesterday was cleaning the dryer.  First was moving things around so it could get pulled out.  We vent our dryer inside to trap the moisture and heat.  Between the lint filter and bucket we collected so much lint that the girls were surprised by the handfuls of lint, hay and straw we pulled out. I've always cleaned the dryer before.   Most people don't deal with hay and straw but there was enough lint to be a fire hazard.  Dryers are listed near the top as causes of house fires.  Most people only need to clean their dryer yearly.  Large families, long hose vents or people with pets need to clean their dryer more often.

   A school assembly this morning, Aydan is getting a surprise recognition for something.  The school called and said his family would want to be there.  Then I will finish my house plants.  I still have some to repot and windows to wash.

    May your day be blessed. Sally

 9/28/26  May this Monday bring hope, blessings and plenty of reasons to smile.

   Rain and wind today and tonight.  It's 49 degrees, today's high 55, tonight's low 53,  Rain tomorrow morning, afternoon showers, cloudy tomorrow night.  A stiff NNE breeze, high 60, low 53.  Cloudy Wednesday, a gentle NW breeze, high 68, low 59.  Partly cloudy Thursday, a brisk WSW breeze, high 76, low 63.  Mostly cloudy Friday, a WNW breeze, high 72, low 48. Mostly sunny Saturday, a NW breeze, high 66, low 39.  Showers Sunday. a SSE breeze, high 63, low 47.  Shows next Monday, strong WNW breeze, high 65, low 39.  Partly cloudy next  Tuesday, a WNW wind, high 58, low 35.  Sunshine next Wednesday, a brisk west breeze, high 64, low 40.  Cloudy Thursday the 8th, a stiff SW breeze, high 65, low 44.  Showers Friday the 9th, a strong north breeze, high 63, low 41. Partly cloudy the weekend of the 10th and 11th, highs 64, lows 42.  a stiff WSW breeze Saturday, a stiff WNW breeze Sunday.  Showers Monday the 12th, a stiff NW breeze, high 60, low 39.

   A rainy day, we're happy, the ducks are happy.  The house is happy, this is a good day to start fall cleaning.  We'll decorate for fall but we decided not to take the birthday banners down, we have five more birthdays this month.  Azalea's party was here Saturday, Lainy's was yesterday.  She is Jordn and Chiara's youngest so her party was at their place. 

   This week is a good week to mulch around our rhubarb. There is a lot of grass encroaching on the plants, we'll put some sged manure in a ring around each plant.  Then cardboard.   After a hard frost we'll clean up the plants and put straw over them.

   We have a strong hive of bees but the bees moved into the hive this summer so we aren't going to take any honey off.  Saturday we got a two gallon pail of honey from an 82 year old beekeeper who has had bees all his life.  He wraps his bees about October 15th.  Jay will do that this year.

   May your day be blessed, Sally

 9/26/26 A peaceful heart knows how to find joy in the little things, beauty in the ordinary, and contentment in the moment.

Mostly cloudy, a NE breeze now, becoming a NE wind later today.  High 73, low 53.  Occasional overnight showers.  Showers tomorrow morning, cloudy in the afternoon, showers tomorrow night.  A NNE wind, high 66, low 51.  Rain Monday, a  Strong NE breeze, high 58, low 52.  lighter rain Monday night.  Showers Tuesday, a NE breeze,  After Tuesday the forecast is about the same as yesterday's.  Dry with a bit of a warm up. slightly cooler than average but no frost.

   There often isn't much time between a hard frost and cold weather.  As dry as we are, we are hoping nature balances itself out with cold wet weather.  I'm making a list of what needs attention after the hard frost.  Peonies, the top jewel of the June garden,  I cut them back and clean up every bit of the foliage.  It is a good idea not to put it in the compost pile in case there are any disease spores in it.  Then mulch it with straw, shredded bark, pine needles or compost.  I use an inch of compost and  four or five inches of straw.  In spring I pull the straw back from the plant a little at a time so the new shoots can harden off.  I put organic  fertilizer around the plant, not on top of it.  My peonies are so lush with such large blooms I put a peony ring in to support them.  Usually the one I took out in the fall, they last several years.

   This afternoon is Azalea's birthday party so it is a busy morning.  May your day be blessed, Sally