Had some fun today. We covered and uncovered several things. We’ve been winterizing things around the farm… making the chickens’ coops ready for the winds and winter temps, getting the plants ready for it all as well.
We started off the morning by winterizing the Renata Inn (that’s what we’ve taken to calling the little tractor that all of Renata’s chickens live in, along with Mr. P.). I still think we should get a bit of an advertising fee from Dumor for using their feed sacks as much as we do for wind breaks, etc. We also moved new hay bales to the sides and back to help insulate and provide a buffer for the winds – so that the tractor doesn’t move. The chickens seemed pretty happy with the results. We also covered the coop for Vicente and his girls over by the goats. Covered and covered.
Then, this afternoon, I uncovered the grey water outlet, as well as St. Francis, and saffron plants! The Summer Jewel Red Salvia took off after I cut them back mid summer and they were completely obscuring St. Francis, so I took some time to cut it back and uncover our Saint. It looks a bit straggly right now, but once the spring comes around, it’ll fill in quite nicely. My hope is that the two Salvias will create a type of grotto for our Saint 
and the bird bath. I think it’ll look pretty good. The purple flowers on the right are Lantana and they have really flourished through this summer with regular watering. It’s becoming a nice little bird and butterfly relaxation area. After the Salvia was cut back something else 
was uncovered: Saffron! Last fall, my mom gave us little crocus sativus bulbs from whose flower saffron threads are harvested. This is the very small crocus plant that comes up – behind it is a regular narcissus. We may be able to harvest a few – but definitely not enough to sell this year. Historically, saffron has been the world’s most costliest spice by weight. We just thought we’d give it a go.
I’m sure there’s more that we’ve covered and uncovered… maybe we’ll share that in another post. Until then, as always~
Thanks for reading!
Today’s Weather: Another beautiful fall day. Was a crisp 48° this morning as we went out to do chores. High was around 80° today. Currently, at 8:08 p.m., it is 63°, 35% humidity, winds wnw at 6 mph, Barometric pressure at 29.83 inHg. Sunrise was at 6:26, sunset at 5:43. The overnight low is predicted to be 43°.
Egg Report: Friday – 14 chicken, 0 duck. Saturday – 23 chicken, 3 duck. At least the numbers went up a bit today. Still only picked up 2 from the RCW. Sue’s thinking of culling those guys.
Wing and a Prayer 