Over the weekend we had quite the cold front come in...the low was 51! That is cold for South TX. I even had to wear a sweater, put a comforter on the bed AND turn on the kerosene heater for an entire day! This can only mean the next ice age has started, and I am just not prepared. It wasn't on my list of end world scenarios to prepare for, so I am at a loss. :)
We have some wood, but definitely not enough for such severe cold temperatures, and if a glacier makes down this far!? I have no idea what we would do....probably like my Scottish ancestors and move the animals inside the house to help keep the place warm. Or we could go out to the barn..No clue.
Fortunately, the weather has warmed up some. It is still chilly at night (60s), and supposed to be in the low 90s the rest of this week, but Fall has definitely descended onto the prairie.
PH has decided to finally join us in the house (shell). We moved the king bed into our bedroom (shell), and we are eating at the dining room table (most of the time). The kids have had about 4 years of not being used to sitting at a table, so we will need to work on that aspect of their manners. We still do our cooking and bathing in the container, and I am in the process (a slow one) of cleaning the container top to bottom, and preparing it to be a guest room/long term food storage. Not together of course, the bedroom will be the guest room, and the former living roomish space will be the food storage location. PH is "supposed" to cut a door opening from the container bedroom into the kitchen area in the house. This will make a bridge/walkway between the two without going outside. Can't wait!
PH is finishing up the wiring, and still working on the insulation. Depends on what he feels like doing. Insulation is definitely on the agenda, and moving up quickly with cold weather approaching. The house stays much warmer than the container EXCEPT if I have the wood stove going in the container, then the kids opt to play in the container bedroom.
We moved the chicken coop, and cut an opening into the former chicken yard/dog pen/pig pen and now chicken yard again. The plan is to get the chickens locked into the coop, clip their wings, and keep them housed in the chicken yard. I do not like them always on the front porch. It is nerve-wracking. PH is talking about moving the electric fence from the South Pasture, and placing it around the barn fence to keep the pigs in the back pasture. Right now, they push under the fence in one location, and are tearing everything up.
I am still working on my mountain of laundry. It is more a matter of washing a heap of blankets, comforters and sleeping bags. The clothing is all done, and I try to keep up with what is worn weekly, but the blankets are another story. I can only put one at a time in the washer. Makes for slow going. PH is not happy, but he'll have to get happy, no help for it since I am work the majority of the day. It has not sunk in yet to PH or PD#1 that THEY could actually put the laundry in the washer themselves since they get home at 4:30 pm and I don't get home until 7 pm..hmmm, what a dilemma....
We are hosting a Scholastic Book Fair at the library this week. I am very excited, and am praying we do well. The library receives a portion of the proceeds from sales to purchase books for the library. Come by if you are in the area!
Winding down to election time. I totally forgot until just this second that I wanted to go to the "meet the candidate night". It was tonight at the local community center. It was not for any presidential candidates, but the other local ones running for office. (sigh)
Still working on getting my garden planted, a little at a time.
I know all this mundane talking of laundry etc., has you bored, but it is part of homesteading, though not an exciting part. We do continue to stock up on food, and are learning new skills, but the house building still consumes much of our lives and income. Still looking for my camera so I can update a picture for everyone :)
