We've had bucketloads of rain this week and the temperature has definitely cooled. Luckily, we had a break in the weather long enough for Jeff to get his cover crop seeds in.
A couple of days ago we jury-rigged a plastic cover over the chicken house, because the wood was absorbing too much of the rain and we didn't want our chickens to get sick from all the moisture. It ain't pretty, but it will do for now. We're exploring options for something more permanent for the winter. Maybe a new not-movable coop, or maybe something like a portable "garage roof."
With the change in weather, our resident trees have started shedding. The yard was thoroughly covered in leaves, so yesterday we finally managed to make it to the store to buy a leaf rake. We spent a while yesterday afternoon cleaning up the front yard and street. Jeff hauled the leaves into the backyard because they'll make great compost.
We've learned this house is really not insulated! I wonder how earlier residents took the cold. We finally turned on the furnace yesterday when we realized it was 55°F inside the house. Though, it's not really working very well; as I type this in the parlor area, I can see my breath when I exhale heavily. It hardly makes much sense to turn the heat up if the heat is simply going to pour out of all the uninsulated spaces and windows. We're going to spend a very bundled-up winter!
We've taken to sleeping in the basement again, because at 63°F, it's the warmest space in the house. Though, with the furnace on, one of the noisiest; we may need to just abandon running the furnace at night. It will be really nice once we finish insulating and replace the furnace with something more efficient, and hopefully quieter. =)
Jeff and I are trying a new routine where we spend 5PM to 9PM working on school. It has reduced our Netflix watching and has helped us be more proactive about getting the schoolwork done. We've also started doing our shopping errands on Tuesdays. This week we acquired food stuffs and lawn tools. Hopefully next week we'll make it appliance shopping. I hope these habits stick at least through the rest of the quarter.
I blogged a little about the garden bed at:
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