It's December 16, and we are having balmy weather. After that one lot of snow about a month ago, it has been lovely. There's still green grass outside, not our back lawn unfortunately thanks to the poultry, but the front and down the driveway. It's so nice to run the hosepipe to water the cows and horses, but there is snow on the way in the next few days but next week is seemingly going to be back in the 60s. This is the first year since I've lived in Michigan that the Winter has been relatively mild. Don't think I trust it though. This is my 9th Winter here, and all the others have been nasty.
Herbie has been working funny hours. They call him in on Sundays, his 1st day off, but then on Monday his dispatcher texted asking if he wanted to take Tuesday off as it was quiet. So he cleaned out the garage for me while I cleaned the milk herdshare owners table and made food etc. Slowly but surely, things are getting tidied up and cleaned up around here. Great to have the puppy stink out of the garage, thank you Herbie.
Sort of weaning Oliver as Daisy May gives about 2-gallons of milk a day and I need 3-gallons for Manda on Fridays and 2-gallons for Amy on Mondays. He's about 6 months old, methinks. Need to go back and check my records to be absolutely sure, but although there is a bit of noise from both of them, it's not horrendous.
Last week I bid on some stuff from the old Ionia hospital, and won about 75 feet of 6 ft high 7 x shelves of shelving for $51, a wooden cabinet on wheels for $5 and a metal cart with shelves for $16. Had to do 2 trips with the truck, and it took us over 2 hours to dismantle the shelving, which is now in a heap in the shed. If I can get the tunnel sealed so that it doesn't leak, this shelving would work great along the one wall as a cheese cave / canned goods storage. Unfortunately I didn't win one of the chest freezers, but was pretty happy I didn't win the large 3-door commercial fridge I put a bid in on. Herbie was unhappy with the shelving, he would have been livid if I'd won the fridge.
We are going to spend Christmas lunch with Jackie and Gary at their lake house. I'll do a turkey. Think it's going to be fun, as Herbie loves it up there and it's not too far to drive, just over 1/2 an hour.
Salle popped over today after dropping off some sheep in Fowler. We had tea and chatted. I bragged about my clean kitchen floor. We get on so well. Angie, John and Izzy also stopped by to pick up some milk. Think we're going to have a pizza lunch here with them on Monday. Looking forward to their visit too. Have made some good friends here. Angel stopped by the other night to share a beer with me before flying to Sante Fe for Christmas with her kids. Must remember to ask Jackie if she wants to go get a pedicure with me next week in Lowell. Wonder if Angie is interested in that.
Really enjoying our upgraded phones. Great to have battery life again and not be tethered to a wall all the time. Also got a free tablet which I'm playing with as a loyalty thing with Sprint. On Monday we went to 5Below in Grand Rapids to buy protective covers for them. Paying $5 for a cover is much better than $99 from Sprint. Stopped by at TJ Maxx and Home Goods and only bought a new set of bath mat for Herbies' bathroom, after meeting Jackie and Gary for breakfast in Greenville and then going to the Cheese Factory in Lakeview. Herbie has a new favourite, Horseradish Cheddar plus we stopped in at Rogers Health Food store in Edmore for nuts, vitamins and liquorice root. My oats at the restaurant were really disappointing, and they didn't have cream ! But the others had great meals. The waiter was fun, and when I said that I just took the cream off the top of the milk on the farm, he said next time I came in, he'd love to share some real cream with me. Think I'll have to take my own oats too :)
Getting about 3 eggs each day, 2 brown and one blue, although I still have duck eggs for breakfast.
Starting planning my garden for next year.