Welcome to our family blog to keep you updated on all the happenings around the Walker cottage and "farm". Even though we live in a rural section of the Tennessee Mountains life is far from boring as you will see.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

OCTOBER 2022 WALKER NEWSLETTER

 

Hello!

Autumn is in full force here in the TN mountains bringing cold nights and frosty mornings with chilly days. The leaves have already flaunted bright colors of red, orange, and yellow at their height of glory- now slowly fading and dropping down to the earth to make a crunchy carpet underfoot. Winds whip the treetops sending acorns falling to the earth like mini pellets scattering everywhere. While the squirrels race around hiding nuts for the winter, I am busy trying to finish outdoor chores before it gets too cold to work outside. As usual, I am running behind on everything I'd like to get done.

Meanwhile all kinds of daisies, purple asters, marigolds, zinnias, and mums are blooming as the graceful yellow goldenrod stands tall among them. A few hardy roses unfurl their last delicate petals for the year.

The garden as well is finished for the year for me as I've not planted any fall crops after harvesting the mini pumpkins I planted. I plan on mucking out the duck and hen houses to put on my garden beds so I can lay new straw down for the winter. I've already tacked down plastic over the windows to hold in warmth for the ducks and hens at night and cleaned out all the cobwebs.

Each sunny warm day has found me busy painting the mailbox, wooden rocking chair in the sun/mud room, plant stands, the back steps going down into my enclosed garden and the workshop steps. I also painted the sun/mud room walls.

I did up a last batch of nineteen quarts of tomato juice and eight quarts of tomatoes to finish filling up the pantry. I always love seeing full jars on the shelves.

Before Stacy and her family arrived, I picked up branches and burned a pile of briars that I cleaned out along the hedgerow etc while indoors I did a major cleaning throughout the house that was long overdue.  The temperature dropped sharply so I ended up having to bring all my hanging and  house plants indoors too that I had hoped to wait until later as it entailed washing windows and sills.

It was such a joy to see Stacy, Justin, and meet Theo and Mae for the first time. What fun having small children once more in the house.  It had been years since I last saw Justin's father, Jeff, who I was in school with, and Rachel. Theo and Mae were excited to gather eggs, smash acorns, and play after another long day of traveling. All too soon we had to say good-bye.

Dwight got the sink installed in the kitchen- what joy- and I was finally able to put everything back underneath and clear off the dining room table in time to make a meal for Stacy and her family. I feel so blessed to be able to cook and bake in my new brighter/lighter kitchen especially as the days grow shorter each week.

Due to the very wet summer we had, the beehive closest to the hedgerow along the property that was in more shade, I was saddened to discover that moths had taken over and all the bees had died. So I dismantled the beehive and cleaned off all the boards storing it in the workshop until spring.  Meanwhile, thankfully, the other beehive is going strong. I’ve been feeding them sugar water as the flowers die out and there isn’t a large source of nectar for them to get. I plan in the spring to use this beehive to start another brood for the empty one.

God has been so good to help, watch over, guide, and take care of us in the year since Dana died. It has been a big adjustment, but He has been there every step of the way. I’m grateful each day for the strength He gives me and I have Dwight to keep an eye on me to make sure that I behave and not go too wild. There still is a lot to get done indoors that will keep me busy this winter.

So until next month- take care on your end and stay warm!

Dorcas

 

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