Getting Ready for Winter

My computer is back and running thanks to my son Kelly the computer expert!  It is faster and better than ever, too!  Harold and I missed our computer during the last 3 weeks and had to use a little Android tablet instead.  Tablets are too small for my poor eyesight.  Anyway,  I am back now on here and ready to write more articles and send pictures!
     This month we have been getting ready for winter - covering tractors, cleaning the greenhouse, putting away things in the yard, emptying planters, and cutting lots of wood.  Harold has been especially busy with wood cutting and splitting, like every other guy in the neighborhood.  Here he is standing next to what we have so far, a pile about 6 ft high, 16 ft wide and 16 ft deep.   This is what we heat our house with, free wood from our land.    And - this pile is only HALF of what we need! 

Harold standing by our wood pile with kitten Popeye on his shoulder

Popeye the kitten is our favorite cat.   He is the runt of the bunch, but a real go-getter and tries his best to keep up with everyone else.   He is called Popeye because when he was just about 3 or 4 weeks old his eyes would mat shut every few hours and I was constantly applying warm water to them to open them up.   One eye would especially stick shut, hence the name Popeye. 

Almost camouflaged by the logs, Popeye is 12 weeks old and loves exploring the woodpile. 

The woodpile is a great draw for all the cats, probably because mice like to hide in there.   Pictured is Whitey and Climber, and two other older kittens with their heads in the wood trying to find mice.   All our cats have thick fur right now in prep for the cold winter.  The longer haired cats almost look like lynxes.   Our herd of mouse hunting farm cats is 15 this winter.   These 15 cats patrol the farm pretty good and don't let much go by them.

We cleaned out the greenhouse, and I planted garlic in there.   Garlic has to winter over and set roots, then it grows in the spring and is harvested in July.   I planted several types of garlic to sell at market, and covered the area with straw.   On a sunny day it can get up to 55 or more  in the greenhouse even on a cold day.   We were able to keep romaine lettuce growing until Nov 19, when I harvested the last 2 heads for salads.    That date is well past the usual garden dates for this area!   I am already planning next year's growing season.

My garlic patch covered for the winter.   Hopefully there won't be too many mice living in this.  I may have to put a cat in the greenhouse for a day!  What a mess that might be with straw tracked all over!