A Busy Beginning to Fall

I had several posts written, but because I took too long to add photos and publish them, they would leave you very confused.  Things like "my garden is still hanging in there" and "I hope to have the mudroom finished by the first snow" are no longer true considering we were hit last weekend by storm Atlas.  I want to call it a winter storm but can't because it's not even winter yet.

Lets talk about Atlas for a moment.  First off, we didn't get hit as hard as the Northern Black Hills or the ranchers in our area.  We didn't lose power or phone service, and our animals survived.  Sadly, many cattle ranchers weren't so lucky.  Thousands of cattle died from either suffocation, freezing or pneumonia.  It's been estimated that Western South Dakota lost 5-10%  of it's cattle population.  Some ranchers are even reporting losses as high as 50%.  My heart is breaking.  To read more about this storm, I have some links below.

http://beefmagazine.com
http://www.weather.com   Interesting pictures that show just how much snow people are dealing with.
http://www.bhpioneer.com

With the snow mostly melted (by me anyway) it's hard to believe this happened less than a week ago.  Now it's time to resume my winter prep chores.

Nathan got a wood permit and has been getting a truckload of firewood from the National Forest almost everyday.  We don't have to worry about seasoning it, because he can only take fallen trees. 

wood working area

Once the wood had been unloaded, work resumes on the addition.  It's moving along nicely.  My goal was to have the mudroom ready by the first snow, but our new goal is Thanksgiving. 

I hope to make an appointment to have Pumba butchered here in the next month or so.  This means, however, that we will have to get our large chest freezer from my parents.  It's big, heavy and takes up a lot of room and electricity.  Part of me really wants to can as much as possible, but I know that halfway through I'll wish I hadn't.

Chickens STILL haven't started laying, and our only mature hen is molting.  I had to buy eggs.  I am a little upset with my feathered moochers right now.

Now on a sadder note, my sweet kitty of 9 years passed away.   My day just doesn't seem quite complete without her.  She was my company while the kids were at school and at night she would sleep on my feet and keep them warm.  While time will ease the pain, she will be greatly missed.

Nathan buried her by the garden.  It's my favorite place and when I out there working I feel at peace. After time I hope to adopt a new furry friend.  The house just needs a cat curled up somewhere.