# Plans for autumn and winter



## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

What are your plans for autumn and winter? 

We are hoping to get the greenhouse up and work on the fences again this fall. That darn fox is still getting on our property. We also have a LOT of wood to split and got our 20 ton gas engine wood splitter last week. When we got home and I read the manual, yes I read manuals, it state if we were above 3,000 feet we needed to replace the fuel jet. So, we have ordered it and are waiting. It was so much fun explaining to my nephews that we have to wait!

This winter we hope to get 2 sheds we have insulated and get the wiring and interior walls installed.Then put up shelving, this will give us more storage space, which we desperately need. A friend was over last week-end and opened a cabinet and all my blankets fell out on her. 

We are still collecting items for the greenhouse installation. We are trying to get everything we need from Craigslist for free or almost free.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

With the cooler and drier temps comes the desire to hit the range more often. I also want to give another go at growing something edible. Leafy stuff. Maybe I can defend them from pests and stuff better than I did the tomatoes and bell peppers.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

Look up companion planting and try that with your leafy edibles. You could also try building a frame and putting screening over it, just remember to have a way to open it so you can access the edibles easily.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

Auntie said:


> What are your plans for autumn and winter?
> 
> We are hoping to get the greenhouse up and work on the fences again this fall. That darn fox is still getting on our property. We also have a LOT of wood to split and got our 20 ton gas engine wood splitter last week. When we got home and I read the manual, yes I read manuals, it state if we were above 3,000 feet we needed to replace the fuel jet. So, we have ordered it and are waiting. It was so much fun explaining to my nephews that we have to wait!
> 
> ...


Auntie my plans for winter started at the beginning of summer. I have spent all summer getting ready to cope with winter. I have torn down a pump house and rebuilt a new one around the same site that is a 10 x 10 building. Used to be 4 x 5. I intend to eventually use this extra room to be my solar control room. I had hoped it would be done already.

I went through the entire property removing clutter. 2 loads to the dump and burned organic waste for weeks. rearranged the "furniture" (RVs and other equipment vehicle etc) in the yard to allow a more open landscape. added more cameras to my surveillance system. 
trying to finish a 12 x 16 building that is an addition onto the RV my son and his wife and little ones live in. hope to have totally enclosed today and start working on the interior this weekend. This will allow them to use a wood stove for heat this winter instead of using propane. speaking of which I have switched kitchen range and hot water to propane this summer and have stored enough propane to last at least a year based on our current usage. Have also cut chopped and stacked almost 15 cord of wood over the summer, mostly from my 2 properties. No wood splitter. would be nice and save on the back. maybe someday....
I have repaired fences around the property. have about 300 ft that I would still like to add the cedar like fence board to for privacy. I scan craigs list for this and get used boards people remove from their own fences. they are old and grey. blend into the landscape and do not look like something important people would think to investigate. if it is not new and shiny people don't look. 
food wise I had an awesome garden this year which continues to grow. canned 350 quarts of tomatoes, finishing the 140ish carrots, 400 quarts of green beans, 140 quarts of beats, 74 pints of pickled. hundreds of pints of jams, pickles and relishes of all kinds. salsa, hot sauces, peppers. did a bunch of "pizza" sauces that my middle son made from his "special recipe" (thanks Sam) will be working on spaghetti sauce today. have tons of squash and pumpkins to add to the cellar, potatoes onions and carrots still in the garden to be dug. 
I canned probably 200 quarts of milk and 100ish half pints of butter. dehydrated eggs like crazy all summer since we couldn't keep up with the chickens. My freezers are all full, butchered a pig and got 300 lbs of meat and canned 2/3 of that. also added a beef to the freezers and canned most of the roast meat, half of the hamburger. butchered 100 chickens in june and another 100 in august. canned all breast meat and froze the rest. 
I will continue to can and dry food through the fall. 
I cemented 2 of my large pig pens that I will divide into 4 to house my pigs this winter and keep them out of the mud and muck. Area of 32 x 32 feet. 
I have 300 bales of hay stored. 
my goats and pigs are working on making spring babies now. (animal orgy at my house)
I have enough grain stored to feed the rabbits for 9 months, chickens for at least 6 months, and the rest for 4. still adding to this as I find the space and money. as my garden is winterized I plant turnips which will be fed to the animals during the winter. 
I still need to check the heat tapes on the exposed water pipes for drinking water for the animals. they are all tied into a rain catch system that is gravity fed to them. (also set up in the beginning of summer) they are not on the well so I don't need to worry about water for them if the power goes out. tried this system over the summer and even with no rain all summer the amount stored lasted them for almost 4 months. longest run with no rain I have seen here.

am I ready for winter? hell no! I can always find more work that needs to be done. I work 24 hours a day and never seem to get it all done. spent the summer working 60+ hours a week at work because there seems to be a lack of nurses in our area. plus I am on call answering patient calls just about every night from the time my day shift ends until it starts again the next day. The work just doesn't stop! I look forward to zombie invasions since I will be able to stay at home and get some rest.  
my little 2 acres kicks my butt sometimes.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

You made me tired just reading that! Impressive amount of canning. Do you use more than one pressure canner? There is no way I could physically handle splitting 15 cords of wood by hand. We split 3 cords and decided it was time to give up something to save for a log splitter. Today I am canning again and sitting while the pressure canner does its job. I did a bit to much weeding and garden work yesterday. The goats were very happy to have 'fresh vegetation' as my nephews call it. It has been a long hard summer here on our homestead. We haven't had the kind of rain we usually get. We are not allowed to collect rainwater here, we can have a pond. Our garden has not done as well as I would like, hail, goats, escaped chickens, no rain. I still have managed to get quite a bit canned, no where near your achievements!

I really enjoy your posts and wish you had time to post more.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

This fall, well we've already started. Kitchen this year. New cabinetry, granite countertops, sink, wood laminate floor, paint, lighting, and windows. Some weekend work at the church when it cools off.

When winter comes we'll be ready for a break, and reservations are already made for New Orleans and the deep south. Never been there, and we're looking forward to the trip.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

My garden is gone. It did give an amazing amount of tomatoes. We have some picked green ones that are still ripening inside. 

As for this winter I need to buy a new vehicle. My Chevy isn't doing so well, the mirror is busted the 4x4 switch skips from 2hi straight to 4lo, and its just old and rusty. I was thinking Dodge Durango but I was advised against it. So I'm looking for a Jeep. I want a 4 door Jeep, so I like Jeep Commander. Hemi!!!!


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

Auntie said:


> You made me tired just reading that! Impressive amount of canning. Do you use more than one pressure canner? There is no way I could physically handle splitting 15 cords of wood by hand. We split 3 cords and decided it was time to give up something to save for a log splitter. Today I am canning again and sitting while the pressure canner does its job. I did a bit to much weeding and garden work yesterday. The goats were very happy to have 'fresh vegetation' as my nephews call it. It has been a long hard summer here on our homestead. We haven't had the kind of rain we usually get. We are not allowed to collect rainwater here, we can have a pond. Our garden has not done as well as I would like, hail, goats, escaped chickens, no rain. I still have managed to get quite a bit canned, no where near your achievements!
> 
> I really enjoy your posts and wish you had time to post more.


Yes I use to canners every time. I have a 30 quart and a 21 quart pressure canners so I can do 21 quarts at a time. I do my canning after the sun goes down. I do a little something pretty much every day. If I don't get it all processed that night before I go to sleep I start the canners up in the morning to process the rest while I'm doing chores and getting ready to go to work.

there has been very little rain this year too. fortunately I have a good water source and have no problem watering with a sprinkler and soaker hose system.

How can you not be allowed to collect rain water? it falls from the sky. does someone own the rights to the sky? 
I would find some way to do it even if it meant sinking some 55 gal barrels down in the ground and hiding it.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

Auntie said:


> You made me tired just reading that! Impressive amount of canning. Do you use more than one pressure canner? There is no way I could physically handle splitting 15 cords of wood by hand. We split 3 cords and decided it was time to give up something to save for a log splitter. Today I am canning again and sitting while the pressure canner does its job. I did a bit to much weeding and garden work yesterday. The goats were very happy to have 'fresh vegetation' as my nephews call it. It has been a long hard summer here on our homestead. We haven't had the kind of rain we usually get. We are not allowed to collect rainwater here, we can have a pond. Our garden has not done as well as I would like, hail, goats, escaped chickens, no rain. I still have managed to get quite a bit canned, no where near your achievements!
> 
> I really enjoy your posts and wish you had time to post more.


Yes I use to canners every time. I have a 30 quart and a 21 quart pressure canners so I can do 21 quarts at a time. I do my canning after the sun goes down. I do a little something pretty much every day. If I don't get it all processed that night before I go to sleep I start the canners up in the morning to process the rest while I'm doing chores and getting ready to go to work.

there has been very little rain this year too. fortunately I have a good water source and have no problem watering with a sprinkler and soaker hose system.

How can you not be allowed to collect rain water? it falls from the sky. does someone own the rights to the sky? 
I would find some way to do it even if it meant sinking some 55 gal barrels down in the ground and hiding it.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

It is a stupid CO law. I have a very pretty 4 x 4 raised box that has flowers on the top of it, that way I can see my pretty flowers through the window  The down spout from the gutters runs right behind the box. I use a lot of soaker hoses, they don't waste as much water and are an easy way to water and not get the plants themselves wet which is a problem at my altitude.

I have seen other people mention large pressure canners but have been unable to find one that does more than 7 quarts at a time.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Auntie, that fox has been on you for some time, now. Did you ever try luring him in close with a recorded "rabbit dying" call. I've seen it done, it works.

P.S. I assumed a shotgun is legal in your area.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> Auntie, that fox has been on you for some time, now. Did you ever try luring him in close with a recorded "rabbit dying" call. I've seen it done, it works.
> 
> P.S. I assumed a shotgun is legal in your area.


I have tried luring him in with a baby duck, a baby chicken, an adult duck, an adult chicken, a can of dog food, the left overs from a fishing trip. I have tried the hav a heart trap with a cage at the back with the above things. Tried hiding it in the hay storage, we know he goes there because we have found feathers. This DAMN fox is driving me crazy. I really think there is more than one, it is hard to tell. Yes I could shoot him, however, I have horses behind me, horses on either side of me and horses across from me. I am not that good of a shot. If I shot someones horse or goat or ____ it would be worse than the fox. I have been practicing my shooting once a week and I am getting better. Shooting at night and trying to hit a moving fox, not there yet.

I even tried going to Trapper Days and talking to some of the trappers, they suggest poison and illegal traps.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

If you buy pee of a larger animal it will scare away the smaller animals but it will attract the bigger ones. If you have a fox problem you may need something that could eat a fox, a predator like a wolf or bear pee will scare away a fox, but it will attract the wolves.

The crazy guy where they sell guns said that he peed in a cup and sprinkled it where he had a problem and the animal didn't come back. But he's nuts.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

James m said:


> If you buy pee of a larger animal it will scare away the smaller animals but it will attract the bigger ones. If you have a fox problem you may need something that could eat a fox, a predator like a wolf or bear pee will scare away a fox, but it will attract the wolves.
> 
> The crazy guy where they sell guns said that he peed in a cup and sprinkled it where he had a problem and the animal didn't come back. But he's nuts.


It works against deer. But the neighbors will think you're nuts.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Auntie said:


> I have tried luring him in with a baby duck, a baby chicken, an adult duck, an adult chicken, a can of dog food, the left overs from a fishing trip. I have tried the hav a heart trap with a cage at the back with the above things. Tried hiding it in the hay storage, we know he goes there because we have found feathers. This DAMN fox is driving me crazy. I really think there is more than one, it is hard to tell. Yes I could shoot him, however, I have horses behind me, horses on either side of me and horses across from me. I am not that good of a shot. If I shot someones horse or goat or ____ it would be worse than the fox. I have been practicing my shooting once a week and I am getting better. Shooting at night and trying to hit a moving fox, not there yet.
> 
> I even tried going to Trapper Days and talking to some of the trappers, they suggest poison and illegal traps.


There's a reason they call it "Out foxed".


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> It works against deer. But the neighbors will think you're nuts.


I wonder who gets volunteered to collect predator urine. Do you think that they draw straws??


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

James m said:


> I wonder who gets volunteered to collect predator urine. Do you think that they draw straws??


I meant that the homeowner donates the fluid in question.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Ewww. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LPPBVIE/


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

Finish off the tomatoes and blue lakes,freeze and vac seal them till my wife gets back.rake leaves,mow lawns,clear gutters before big rain.try and sight in rifle for upcoming.on a bad foot.
for winter,(middle of november here)get rid of leaves before they get buried in snow,dump branches that fell,buy gas for the snowblowers,get them ready,make gennie ready,take gutters down before freeze.start canning.what else?.I will have to figure that out and start making the list up.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Compared to Auntie and Tired Nurse my list of work is puny.

Paint the shop and new well house (4 days), finish the larger solar install (only 40 hrs work to go and my current project), a tad bit of fencing work (3 days work), insulate floors under the house (1-2 nasty long days), repair sheetrock, trim work (molding), and paint master bedroom (2-3 days), and replace half of shop roof (2-3 days).

I'm sure more will come up as time goes by.

I'd like to add flue vents to both wood stoves so I can damp then down better at night but not quite sure how with the double walled pipes.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Gonna get a truck load of clay to add to my sand. Then a LOT of compost and I will be planting my winter garden in a couple of weeks. Moved 2 of the water tanks today (1500 gal) and hope to get the RR ties moved up to the new house tomorrow so I can set up a place for the hay. I also want to plant fruit trees next month and get the new chicken house built. It's going to be a busy fall! I'll be taking my ham technician test on Oct 4 and after that, I hope to spend some winter days learning how to use my radio. And ohhhhhhhhh........ I have a big birthday coming up and my daughter is taking me to Alaska - in January!!!!! Shouldn't be too many tourists, for sure. I hope to see the aurora borealis, go for a sled dog ride, and do some snow shoeing. Maybe go ice fishing. Should be a blast!


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Back to work for me, my unscheduled and unwanted vacation will be over with in the next month, other than that a new soft top for the jeep and studded snow tires. 

Maybe just maybe that perfect piece of property will come on the market and I can set myself back up in the fashion I am accustomed to. Lots of space no neighbors and lots of room to roam.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

James m said:


> Ewww. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LPPBVIE/





> Works as an Attractant for Coyotes


 Who would want to attract coyotes? Why would they need a gallon of the stuff?


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> Auntie, that fox has been on you for some time, now. Did you ever try luring him in close with a recorded "rabbit dying" call. I've seen it done, it works.
> 
> P.S. I assumed a shotgun is legal in your area.


I just realized that is one animal I haven't tried in the cage behind the trap, a rabbit. Maybe he is getting tired of duck? I know what the boys and I will be doing tomorrow night.


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## Snocam (May 29, 2015)

We are building a new chicken coop with a green house on one end. My wood is all split for this year. My wife jarred up plenty of tomato sauce and the garden continues to produce. I purchased a new snow way plow for my tundra. Used to plow with an old jeep so I am really looking forward to using the new setup, heat and a radio with working wipers will be great. Where I live snow removal is part of being self reliant.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

I planted swiss chard last fall and it didn't go away until I chopped it on to plant something else.
it got fairly cold here that winter too with lots of snow.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Medic33 said:


> I planted swiss chard last fall and it didn't go away until I chopped it on to plant something else.
> it got fairly cold here that winter too with lots of snow.


Do you like swiss chard? I tried growing it, but it tasted like grass to me.


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## Eve West (Sep 1, 2015)

Our plans are to get the garden prepared for next spring, adding to it and hauling in some new dirt/mulch. We want to pick up some more cinder blocks to add another raised bed, fertilize our in-ground bed and work on getting a store of logs in. I have a bunch of apples and pears that should be coming in soon and my neighbor and I are going to be doing an all day canning "event". My hubs is going to be helping the neighbor build a new shed.

We plan on taking a camping trip in the next few weeks, along with many of our family members - giving everyone some much needed practice on campfire building/cooking and just getting out of comfort zones a bit. Once the real cold weather hits, there won't be too much opportunity for this. We'll then be working on indoor projects, building a wall and making room for our son to have his own bedroom in the finished basement. We'll be


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