Nobody Reads This Anyway....

OK..since nobody really reads these blogs anyway, it gives me a chance to let off some steam or go all poetic without fear of offending anyone.
This is a beautiful time of year and the trees and woods are putting on a spectacular show. It's 75 degrees and sunny and balmy and it is positively hypnotic.

Because of the slow economy, our usual rush of leaf peeping visitors (those who have "leafer madness") is just not here. Now, I like peace and quiet and enjoy having the down time to do repairs and play with the goats...but I cannot help but think that things are far from getting better.

One good thing about living here is that we have amazing friends and neighbors who are there for us and we for them. Farm living is the best! You have to give up a certain degree of personal privacy...but sometimes having everyone know your business provides a level of security found nowhere else. You get used to it. And while it may seem to our B&B guests that we are out in the middle of nowhere, nothing could be farther from the truth. Although I will admit that farm life isn't for everyone.

A couple of weeks ago our neighbor came over and helped Ed and I "dispatch" 6 nice fat hens. None of us relished the task, but it's just one of those jobs that needs to be done now and then. I don't like killing animals, but there is a certain confidence that comes with knowing that if needed, I have the tools and know how to take care of myself. I am not a gun nut or a hunter..but every farm has to have at least one good rifle and people who know how to use it.

Lately we have been awakened at 4:00 am by a very lively coyote, singing loudly. It is the eeriest sound. It is not a good sound. It means a very skilled predator is out and about and casing the joint. We have predator lights at intervals along the goat fencing and lock up the Guinea Hens and Chickens at night...but Mr. C. has struck at several other places, taking a cat, chickens, whatever he can nab. We have tried to see him with the spotlight but he is a ghost and yowls at us from behind trees about 100 ft from the house. He has several people gunning for him and a trapper on his trail. Poor coyote. I feel for him. But he must go. If he can he will kill our goats and chickens. He will kill our baby calves if momma cow is not alert. And he will bring in other coyotes with his calls. He is big..bigger than his Western cousin by far and very dangerous.

That's the way it is out in the country..the very beautiful and serene and the very dangerous and wild. It is an amazing gift to be surrounded by nature.

October!

Yes indeed, we have been busy. Fall is so beautiful up here that we always get a lot of visitors and guests at the B&B. This year has been no exception. Wellll, that is until this week when it has been coooold and raining.
The goats are very unhappy, as they hate rain and are like a bunch of 5 year olds trapped indoors.
We have had Ed's relatives visiting from Wisconsin. They, of course, have been wowed by all the wonderful sights and people here in West Virginia. Not what they were expecting at all.
We have also had some of the most interesting guests at the B&B. What a fun crowd the last couple of weeks. Lots of laughs and smiles. And, a lot of them from New Jersey.

As for the farm work, we are getting our Fall chores done and trying to prepare for winter. Trying to anticipate how much hay and straw we will need for the animals' comfort and how many piles of warm clothes for us. I am NOT a fan of cold weather, frozen water buckets, ice and snow. The goats are growing thick thick coats of cashmere and mohair and we have winterized the chicken houses. All the farm equipment has been made winter ready..the plow blade on the tractor. So now we just wait to see what Mother Nature has in store for us.