First Real Frost

Okay, it may have been a partial frost, but the first signs of thawing ice crystals twinkling on the grass and the last few tendrils of our corn stalks greeted me this morning with a wink.  Winter is not far off and its high time we got off our butts and made ready for it.

There's much to do.  I have two trees worth of wood to chop into the right size for our old fireplace, 1,500 square feet of garden to bed down for the winter, countless stalks and vines to chop for the compost pile, and all of it before the ground freezes hard a rock for the season.  When I went out to feed and water the chickens this morning, their steely glare reminded me that I have yet to place the heat lamp back in their coop.  This I will do today, along with other little things that can't wait until tomorrow.

Beyond it all, I love this time of year and look forward to getting the farm ready to hibernate for the next few months; almost as much as I love the first green shoots of spring or the warm sun peeking behind summer clouds.  It is nearly winter and it is time to get going.