Indian Summer

I got a lot done today.  I picked up the last two big logs out front and put them on my pole pile.  Then I started working on the chicken coop.  I actually finished shoveling it out and laying down clean wood shavings by supper time.  I put the bedding in the garden boxes, around the blackberries, and around the rhubarb.  The chickens were very nosy about what I was doing inside the coop and were under my feet most of the time.  I opened the coop window and aired it out well -- I needed to after I took the broom and swept all the cobwebs from the rafters.  Talk about dusty!  The new wood shavings on the floor and in the nest boxes smell great.  I get a lot of pleasure from having a clean chicken coop.  I am going to go through my fabric bin and make a nice curtain to hang in front of the nest boxes, and a dark thermal one to hang over the big window to act as a solar curtain.  I read about solar curtains in a little book about easy solar projects I bought from Knowledge Publications called Sunshine to Dollars.  The coop should stay nice and warm this winter now that I have the leaf bags stacked up around the outside, too.  The bags don't go all the way up the outside walls -- just half-way -- but I think what is there is enough of a wind barrier and insulation.  I was hoping to get the last of the garlic, potato onions and shallots planted, but I finished with the chicken coop too late.  Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow -- is another day.  Thanks Goodness for Indian Summer!

I wandered around the dashboard and discovered that missing Followers is an outstanding issue that Google is working on so I will try to be patient.  I did have Friend Connect working briefly, but I saw that it, too, was missing when I logged on, so I deleted it and put the Followers widget back on. I hope they fix the bug soon.

Working outside feels so good.  I will miss the outdoors when the deep snows come.