The weather is cooler, more rain is in the forecast, the pastures are green, and life is getting into synch again. There is lot’s of work left to do before winter comes, but at least we can get outside and get it done. The horse barn roof is finished and we are waiting on gutters. Two barn doors need replacing before winter and a couple of boards have fallen off the old hay barn. But that’s the life of living with old buildings – repair, repair, repair and cross your fingers that you don’t have to replace!
We have also found that some of the pasture fencing needs to be replaced. There is nothing like coming home from a horse ride in the near countryside, when you notice a few of the sheep are grazing on the side of the road in front of your pastures. I rode into the pasture to the east to keep the rest of the sheep away from the fence hole, Peter rode north up the hill to block that way out, and Paul loped west down the road to chase them back up onto the property easement. At one point, Paul had to stop a lumber truck as it was barreling down our rural lane. Luckily, he saw Paul’s signal and was able to stop. After the sheep were safely put back into the pasture, new fencing moved up the priority list, pronto. Hopefully with the forest paddock and some electric fencing, we will be able to wait until spring.
Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. The air is cool, not cold. Spring and summer allergies are gone. We are looking forward to the holidays, but they are not close enough to start worrying about all that has to be done. I look into the pantry and see all the work that has gone into the garden on those colorful pantry shelves. The freezers are full and we know we won’t go hungry this winter. Work is slowing down as the days get shorter and we have more time to enjoy the life we’ve created. (We just need to keep the news turned OFF!)