Back in the Small Garden - November 18, 2024 @goldenoakfarm

in #homesteading15 hours ago

Garlic - finished crop Oct 2024.jpg

On Monday it took me quite a while to edit photos and get the post up. Next I cleaned up the disaster of a kitchen and sat down with a cup of tea. After a while I collected the laundry and finally started a load.

The old washer has major problems when agitating with clothes in. I was able to drain and spin it perfectly, but there’s going to be more work done on agitating. I sent an SOS to the contractor.

I had found when I got up on Monday morning that the heaved wood in the dining room floor had lain down on Sunday, so I messaged the contractor about that. But by evening the separation of the boards had gotten much worse, and 2 other boards by the baseboard had separated also.

So I sat and watched another movie and decided about 1:30PM to start putting candles in the windows.

Sorting candles crop Nov 2024.jpg

Many rooms’ candles were together, but not all of them. The first complete room I got out of the box was the back porch so I got those up.

Some candles up crop Nov 2024.jpg

When I finished this room, it was time to go out to start the Small garden. My helper friend was coming for 2:30PM to get the tarps off.

Moving wood with Kubota crop Nov 2024.jpg

I had planned to use the truck as we can move all the wood in one trip. But…there’s a plow on it now and a huge pile of wood where I would drive. So I decided the Kubota was the smart choice, even though it would mean many trips around the house.

So I set to work with it. I’d made 2 trips and no helper so I called. He’d had an emergency with the last client and was detained. But he was heading to me next. So I went back to work.

I was on the next to last load when he arrived.

Wood stacking started crop Nov 2024.jpg

On the right side there’s a low stack of wood. That’s where my garden wood is stored. My son had come out and gotten started on the big wood pile.

I put the Kubota back in the barn and we started pulling leaves onto the tarps and dragging the tarps over the bank to dump them. They were very easy this year due to the drought as they didn’t have water or weigh much.

Small garden - tarps off crop Nov 2024.jpg

Soon the garden was mostly cleaned out.

Tarp washing started crop Nov 2024.jpg

Then we got the hose out, laid out a tarp and started cleaning it. My helper had found a stiff bristled floor broom in the cellar and was using that to scrub bad areas. Once we had one side clean, we pulled it over to the clothesline and up and over all 8 lines, so it made a little cave. Then I sprayed off the dirt, etc on the underside. We’d not tried this method before and it worked the best of all the other methods over the years.

But it was nearly 5PM and getting dark, so we quit for the day.

On Tuesday my helper friend will be back at 9:30AM. It will be cold to be working with water, so I will have him do errands. Once it warms up some, I will go out and finish getting the leaves out of the flower row and whatever we missed elsewhere in the Small garden.

Then I will put on my husband’s Grundéns fishing outerwear and I will wash tarps while my helper friend wields the broom. We plan to finish the tarps and get them hung to dry as it’s to finally rain on Thursday and Friday.

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That's a good stack of wood! We always aim to have a big stack ready for winter but never do. But then, it doesn't snow here!

I love that you put candles in the windows. I have never done that but love it when I see other homes windows all lit up.

What are the candles in the windows for?

It’s a Christmas decoration. I think originally it was 1 candle to guide the Christ child at night…

Please if I may ask, what does lighting up candles in the windows mean?

It’s a Christmas decoration. I think originally it was 1 candle to guide the Christ child.

I hope it rains on Thursday and Friday as you have expected
Well done!

You attended well to the chores, numerous though they were. You must have felt good cleaning up the kitchen and lighting the candles and also finishing the garden work with the aid of your helper. Thanks for the update about your day. Have a good day.

Are they seventy candles you always on by your window or what?

No only 40, they aren’t in the doors.