Working Around The Farm, Getting Ready For Winter

Autumn has been a busy time for me as I worked to get this old place ready for both winter and the arrival of the cattle. The chickens, however, have had plenty of opportunities to lounge around together in the sun:

The house and barn were weatherized to the best of my ability, the furnace was refurbished and we were awaiting the first blasts of winter:

But in the meantime, there have been warm autumn days where a lot of work could be done. This photo shows the new stock tank behind the opened gate, all filled with water. Also, that pile of gravel was for mixing concrete to pour inside the barn:

I had Portland Cement on hand for mixing concrete and a bag of sweet feed with which I hope to entice the cows to friendship when they arrive:

Two small stock tanks for indoors and a mineralized salt block to provide the cattle with minerals lacking in our soils, notably selenium:

My winter supply of hay was ready for use:

And the chickens were quick to discover the wonders of hay seeds as they pecked around the bales:

This patch of asparagus was lovely when it was green, but even more so when it turned golden in autumn:

The chickens made themselves at home in their coop. I installed a heater for beneath their water dispenser. Winter would be coming soon:

After I'd mixed and poured the concrete, I spread what was left on the side of the barn where there were deep holes, weeds and garbage. I had to order extra truckloads of gravel in order to finish:

But I wasn't done yet. I ordered more truckloads of gravel for along the road and soil for the holes in the north hay field:


To my surprise, I discovered that my own property was growing Orange Peel Fungus. I was very careful not to cover it with gravel. Things were almost ready for the cattle's arrival and it's a good thing they were, because the cattle would arrive in just a few short days: