After the gym yesterday, I decided on a trip to the chiropractor, which I had been putting off. I was able to get in quickly because someone cancelled. I texted my Monday helper asking her to feed the puppy and give hay to the sheep as soon as she arrived, only to find out that she had no plans to come. She has arranged to do something else for the next few Mondays, but she would be happy to make it up another day. (I really don’t think the animals want to wait)
Now I use this as an example, but it is not unique. The plumber, the fellow who is clearing out some of the blackberries, and so the list goes on and on. Appointments are made, work is to be done by a specific time and nothing happens. I am told this is the new reality. Don’t expect anything, because people will get to it eventually when they have time . Then why do they make appointments or think I should pay immediately? Using this logic, shouldn’t I be able to pay them when I get around to it?
Is this unique to where I am because there is a shortage of people wanting to work? OR am I just way behind in reality? I learned that when people are waiting for you and you don’t show, you are stealing their time.
I did the chores that I could and DH and I made a quick trip to Costco before I came home to a one hour phone conference that lasted 2 hours. Finished the animal chores and had no energy left to make an October “to do” list. But then maybe that’s okay. October will be for catching up – cleaning piles that have been building over the summer and house cleaning that had to wait until gardening and canning were finished for this year.
I still have grapes to pick and apples aren’t here yet. We made over 50 quarts of grape juice and while we enjoyed some, there are still more than 40 quarts for the winter. The rest of the grapes will go into the freezer to be made into raisins as we have the time. We are out of split peas which should be in by the end of the month and then I can process those. Meanwhile, we will take a week off for traveling this month and I will work on finishing bits and pieces of projects nearly done. With some extreme luck, I may tuck some knitting into the month.
October TO DO list
Grapes – bucketsful turning into grape juice. I pick the grapes off the stem and then steam them. It will be wonderful this winter.
Twinkling Snowman is now basted together so that I can spent bits of time here and there sewing it down. I am pleased to get this far.
And this is the total amount of raisins from a 4 gallon bucket of grapes
They are horrible to pick off the screen, so I’m hoping not to do any more of these this year or else find a better way to do them.
Today was more food prep for winter and for the weekend. So the applesauce was canned, rice cooked, greens cooked, and split pea soup made. Laundry was washed and that’s about as domestic as I could handle today after the gym.
sheep decided to form one group in the pasture without a fence between them. Fortunately there is only one mature ram here so they are just getting the chance to breed a bit earlier than had been planned. It could have been a disaster if we had had more than one mature ram. I will mark my calendar for 150 days from today though I don’t think any of the ladies were ready. There is always some type of excitement and that doesn’t even include having a dog that got out and was checking out the neighborhood.
Then there was this Fall pattern with pattern pieces pinned to it and not put back together very carefully. So I will try to figure out what was going on here and possibly finish it. The pattern is dated 2001, so I know that it is not older than that and might be 2-3 years younger.
I did make a trip to the grocery as it has been so very dry that we are having to supplement this for nectar from flowers so the bees don’t starve this winter. 
Then I went to the bee supply store. The item on the left is a “J” hook to use when looking inside the hive and the thing on the right is a “bee protein patty” which I’m guessing has peanut butter in it. The screen is for making the entry hole smaller to keep the yellow jackets from storming into the hive and stealing.
We froze a few more bananas for “nice cream” which we enjoy on hot days.
And, because you asked, this is what the cucumber chips look like when they are ready to eat.
Then it was time fiber play time. My neighbor and I changed coats on some of the lambs (can’t take a photo while holding sheep) and then we were joined by these lovely people from the 