This Month On The Homestead: September 2021








Well hello October!  The tropical feeling of a humid summer has gone and I am SO HAPPY to welcome the crisp days of fall.  September was filled with garden harvesting and preserving, getting back into the habit of writing, making a lot of soap for our business, and, as noted in my previous post, caring for a sick Oliver.  September brought us fall-like days, summery days, and everything in between.  We've been blessed with a healthy amount of rain this year and despite the fact that it made for some very humid weeks, we have nothing but gratitude for it.

Mid-September we packed up the vehicles with stuff we've been wanting to get rid of and attended a local flea market.  We sold most of it and will donate the rest.  My goal was to clear out the upstairs of the barn and we did pretty good!  There's a few things remaining that my husband is choosing to hang on to and a few pieces of furniture that I wasn't sure whether or not to part with but the totes and boxes are pared right down.

The end of September has found tomato plants withering, leaves changing colors (quickly this year) and falling off our trees, and geese flying south.  I have packed my shorts away for the year while my husband clings to the last remnants of summer by still wearing his.  We had our furnace serviced so it was ready for the 2 mornings I turned it on to take the chill from the air and we're starting on the outdoor to-do-before-winter list. 




Oliver - thank you so much to all of you who have commented and emailed your thoughts and prayers for him.  He is doing well.  For those who missed the last post, I brought Oliver to the emergency vet clinic where he was diagnosed with pneumonia.  One week after he was discharged from his 2-night stay at the emergency clinic he appeared to be back to his normal self.  We continued him on the meds for an additional week which ended yesterday.

He did not appreciate or enjoy the nebulizer or coupage treatments.  At all.  He just could not understand why we had to go into a steam-filled bathroom for 20-30 minutes twice a day and stare at each other.  Because steam rises and he's short I had to hold him so he was breathing in the steam.  So, without anything else to do, I pet him and talked to him.  He would have certainly preferred to do this on the couch and seemed completely confused by it all. 

Then, if that wasn't bad enough, afterward I would have to gently strike his chest with a cupped hand (the coupage) for about 3 minutes to try and loosen up any phlegm.  He hated it.  So I began making it into a game and counting out loud.  We would celebrate when I got to 180 and then he would get treats.

We're both glad that's over.

He had his 2 week follow-up today and his lungs look great!  We are soooo relieved.




Jackson - believe it or not I have nothing new to report on Jack.  That's a good thing!  He had a check-up with his regular vet after he'd been on his new heart medication for a month and she said he's doing great.  The only worry I have is that his brother (littermate) who has the same heart condition is not responding well to his meds any more.  We are certainly hoping Jack doesn't share the same issues or, at the very least, it takes quite some time for that to happen.  I think it was 6 or 7 years ago when his brother was diagnosed and another year or two after when he was put on meds.  

Jack enjoys his nightly med which is wrapped in a salmon-flavored pill pocket.  Of course, because he's Jack, his meds aren't so simple as giving it to him and him eating it.  Instead he licks it over and over and over and over....so I have to put it down his throat.  Most cats would avoid med-time because of this but not Jack.  He seems to be ok with it.  And, it's no surprise, that he continues to enjoy his nightly tuck in into his own room which makes for peaceful sleep for all.







In The Garden - well, the tomatoes have pretty much run their course.  We do have some that are green which will be kept in the house until they've ripened and then enjoyed as the last memories of summer.  Our pepper plants were still loaded with not quite ripe fruit so we'll be enjoying those into the middle of October.  I pulled most of the broccoli plants but am still harvesting a plethora of green beans, carrots, beets, and greens.  We should have a few heads of cauliflower ready right before the first frost, fingers crossed.





In The Kitchen - comfort foods have returned to the menu plan!  I've also been getting the last of what needs to be preserved put away including batch after batch of delicious applesauce.  I make mine in the slow-cooker using this recipe I published quite some time ago, minus the sugar.  It makes the house smell amazing!  

I decided to slice and freeze a large portion of our Asian pears because we can only eat so many raw before they spoil.  I made a pie with them which turned out delicious and then a galette (equally delicious) so I know we'll be able to use up the frozen slices for sweet baked treats throughout winter.




In The Coop - for the first 2 weeks of September my kitchen counter regularly looked like the photo above.  And then the molting began which means feathers everywhere and empty nesting boxes.  Actually, that's not entirely true.  To their credit, we are still receiving about a dozen eggs per week.  For a flock of 22 where the youngest chicken is 5 1/2 years old and they've all started molting, that's not bad.  Better than we expected, honestly.  




Writing And Such - I've been trying to write for 30 minutes each day.  I've shared before that I would love to someday publish a novel (or 2) and I've decided that I will do it.  I have no idea when, but with self-publishing making it possible for anyone, I'm going to do just that.  I do want to try and refine my writing a bit and work on my character development and story line before I begin to try and figure out self-publishing.  

I decided that my books may or may not sell and that it's ok either way. I'd rather publish and have the books not sell than always wondering "what if"....

I'm also trying to create a habit of reading 1 hour a day and crocheting 1 hour a day (and eventually knitting once I've taught myself that).  There are so many things I would love to create!  



Cobble Hill Farm Soap & Mercantile - we are struggling to keep up with making soap!  Years past we've sold a combination of soap and lotion as our top products but this year has been all about soap!  Our fall scents are out now and our winter scents are curing. Jay has been crafting kitchen utensils and has sold them out just about every weekend at our market.  I'm so happy for him.  He loves working with wood and does such a nice job so I'm incredibly grateful for all of the positive feedback he receives. 


That's September on the homestead!  I'm hoping you had a lovely start to fall as well!!

5 comments

  1. Wow Jay's wood products look amazing, no wonder they are selling out. All the orange leaves look so pretty In my suburb where I live there is only one tree on our main road which was close to the cars however they have moved the lane over now so even closer and Sienna and I used to take photos of the leaves of this one tree however being 15 she is more conscious of being in public with photos than she was a few years ago. Have a good week. Kathy

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  2. ps... having a habit of one hour reading and one hour crocheting a day sounds wonderful.

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  3. Thanks so much Kathy! Yes, I can imagine that she is a bit more conscious. I certainly remember that age and I was as well. 😊 That's nice that you have at least one tree with beautiful fall foliage!

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  4. Such pretty photos...the red apples are picture-perfect, nothing like mine! Our tree had so many this year, I just couldn't make any more pie filling or apple butter, so I put them in several large buckets at the end of the driveway with a big "Help Yourself!" sign.

    Everything looks so nice and Oliver and Jackson are well...life is good. And yes, write that book! Mark Twain said: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do." Never stop making wishes and having dreams...it's what keeps us moving forward. Your business is a great example of that. Enjoy the autumn days! Mary

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  5. Mary - that's funny about the apples. I'm sure you had many happy people passing by that were able to benefit. Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement. I really appreciate it!

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