The old man is here.

Tonight will be the first big freeze in our area...yippee!  I am excited about winter.  For me, this is odd.  I normally dread the cold, but the last few summers have changed my perspective.  I will say that the cold north wind made for an interesting run this morning.  My usual route is 1 1/4 miles north, then turn and come back.  The north part was really hard.  The wind was about 20mph with gusts up to 35mph.  I was certain that I was running backwards at times.  When I finally made the turn back south...relief.  The wind at my back was a lot easier to deal with.  Not-to-mention, I was pretty warmed up by then and had to start ripping off extra layers of clothing.  The gusts on the way back helped keep my time relatively the same (I added one minute today), but when you already have jelly legs, it can almost knock you down.

Not much happening on the farm today.  Just a few more things to wrap up for the freeze.  I worked my butt off yesterday getting the chickens ready.  I stripped their barn and am adding fresh shavings today.  I still need to take down their fans and hang their heat lamps.  Also have to top off water and feed.  Those are things you don't want to do after-the-fact.

The bees have all been fed except for two hives.  I am going to do that also.  They were a little hungry, and have been going through the syrup pretty fast.  I have one hive that is small, and I would like to move it to the south side of the house, but my Full-timer has my tie-down straps and my extra labor. 

Guess what we will be doing in the dark later?

My blogging prompt for the day is:

Name five things inside your refrigerator right now and how you feel about them.

This is funny.  Funny because we all have food that we do feel about.

1. Cauliflower - I am feeling pretty excited about this.  I am going to make creamed cauliflower with steamed garlic, butter, and heavy cream.  Then I am going to line big bowls with the stuff and ladle a heaping amount of beef stew on top.  (Dinner tomorrow night - super excited!)
2. Apples - I have found that I have to pay attention to carbs and energy.  I started a paleo/primal diet and dropped a ton of weight.  Now, I am picking up my physical activity and need extra carbs.  I am trying to get them only from fruit.  So far - so good!  They make me feel yummy!
3. Turnips - I have a new recipe to try involving turnips and bacon.  I am adding a green apple to the recipe.  The Man in Charge is not fired up about this one.  My Full-Timer intends to make him try them  - at a minimum - due to the endless amounts of greens he has made her try.
4. Super-feel-good Home-made Tonic - This is a little bottle of apple cider vinegar and honey, mixed one-to-one.  The Man and I take a shot or two a day to heal what ails us.  This makes me feel really good, and I believe it is the beginning of a great salad dressing.
5. Fresh Eggs - I can't leave these out.  I love my chickens.  I know they have been struggling, but they are trying to make a come back. 

TA-DA!