The Candlelight Sanctuary

As it begins to feel more like autumn, I have begun to pay attention to jobs around the yard that I am probably doing for the last time this year. However, with the cooler temps things like cleaning up and mowing the lawn do not seem so laborious. In fact the changing weather makes these jobs quite pleasant now compared with when they had to be accomplished during the summer with temperatures near 100f degrees.
Nearly all the summer veggies are gone from the garden. Only a few tomatoes and peppers remain. I have left the last of these on the vines because there is no threat of frost in the forecast and some are still far from being ready. The winter garden consists of turnips, brussel sprouts, collards and siberian kale. A nice blanket of fallen leaves is beginning to cover the ground around them. The leaves will protect them from the winter cold and help hold the moisture in the soil. When spring arrives I will till the leaves and compost from the compost pile into the ground and we will begin the cycle again.
We have several laying hens and they contribute toward the garden in the form of fertilizer, as well as their main purpose of providing family and neighbors with fresh eggs. In the spring I hatch several eggs in an incubator for replacement pullets and sell some of the chicks. Since I give away the surplus eggs the sale of the chicks helps offset the feed bill a little. However, due to limited space for the chicken operation, butchering our chickens for the dinner table is not practicable. We only have adequate room for our layers. Also, I’ll quickly add, butchering is a messy, unpleasant job for me; one I do not mind leaving to the professionals.
I’m told that gardening is a hobby, and mowing the lawn a necessity, but each spring I look forward to doing both for awhile. Maybe I would not tire of the latter so quickly if I could eat grass.