While a few catalogs arrived just after Thanksgiving, the real barrage starts right around Christmas! Let the planning begin!
Gus has been progressing nicely since his earlier adventures. He still has his “Elizabethan Collar” or Cone for another week, but it’s getting beat up pretty bad.
Behavioral he’s back to being a pain in the butt which is a good thing as there was some worry if he’d be affected by everything.
Thanksgiving day I found this outside
First thought was “oh no, not again” until I found him playing with this
Silly dog wanted rabbit for Thanksgiving
Poor Gus the Farm Dog had a bad time with his trip to the Vet. He got through the procedures just fine. Unfortunately that evening he was able to scratch his eye surgery site and cut his “third” eyelid and had to get to doggie ER quickly due to level of bleeding. Original incision was ok, but once bleeding under control needed a couple more stickers at the new injured eyelid. Everything slowly getting better, except for sleeping indoors, navigating with Cone on head, and a master who misses sleeping through the night!
Not all the Autumn work got down before the Winter’s snow arrived. Hopefully a warm day or two will allow for catching up!
Chief Farm Dog Gus is off at the Vets getting a problem with an eyelid resolved and a visit with Dr Snip-it which he probably won’t like but it’s better for him in the long run. A little apprehensive waiting for them to call and update.
Trying to get potatoes out of the ground and getting too much “help” from Gus the Farm Dog.
Without thumbs he doesn’t think much of this technique and prefers “paws on” technique.
Of course the issue is that he thinks potatoes grow all the way to China.
Now the growing season is mainly over, the rains have returned. Fortunately the migrating birds enjoy the overflow while heading south.
A small group of friends decided to give a bee hive a shot this Summer. We made contact with a local beekeeper who has a number of hives in different locations in the area, but none in our specific neighborhood. We were also fortunate in that a local foundation provided the start-up costs to give it a try. The hive was installed and everything was going well until recently. We knew there are bears in the area and that bears relish honey. It only took one opportunity in broad daylight that the electric fence was down when Mr/Mrs Bear came a calling! Our beekeeper mentor came out immediately to access the damage which resulted in much of the honey in the bear’s stomach but most of the bees, eggs, and brood survived. This year there will be very little honey for the bees to share with us, but we did learn a hard lesson. Incidentally, our beekeeper reported that bears were very aggressive on hives this year so we are not alone.
This post is kind of a detour from the usual fare, but one that feels necessary. Here’s the back story. Over the past year and half, enough disruption has occurred that it was obvious time to think about legacy. Being the youngest in my family meant being everyone’s ultimate caretaker. January 2017 brought the unexpected death of my next brother at age 70. While his health was mediocre at best, it still was not expected as the precipitating event was a broken wrist. To complicate that event, he lived with our elderly mother and saw to her daily and immediate needs. Within a few short months it was obvious that her advanced age (97 years) at the time made it impossible for her to continue to live independently. Physically she was ok for her age, but her mind was beginning to provide her with difficulties. With her agreement she moved into assisted living. In November 2017,my oldest brother passed away. His health was borderline at best, but it took a traumatic head injury from a fall that precipitated his death. The final chapter came in March 2018 when my mother health (physical and mental) degraded enough that she passed away at 98 years old. All these events brought about the realization that our family line had one short branch remaining and that was me.
Farms and homesteads of all sizes face the same problem as the farmer or homesteader ages. That problem is legacy. Who will continue on with what we’ve started. Most often that may fall to a spouse, child, or relative. For Fluffybottom none of these exist. A few years back a friend’s great nephew began helping out at Fluffybottom during the summer and some school holidays. Over those last few years his interest in farming and homesteading has grown enough that it’s a serious consideration for him. While he still quite young (just 18 years), he realizes and worries about life will be like as he matures and ages. He values the ideals of Fluffybottom and values being well situated for the coming transitions as society struggles with the future. So in end, both my legacy and his future concerns can be met as he has become a full partner in Fluffybottom Farm and Homestead including the principles by which it operates.
And so this post is to recognize this new partnership and introduce Matt to the world as both my legacy and his involvement keeping Fluffybottom alive long into the future.
Time to get this year’s firewood!
After his short break with the Vet, Carpenter Assistant Gus has returned to the Construction Site to help finish the Cider House Study Center.
