Enjoying Fall On The Island
Greetings from the island everyone, hope all of you are doing well and adjusting to this time change. I personally enjoy having more daylight time in the evenings before the change, and feel like it’s bedtime now around 8:30 in the evening! I feel like I need to start hitting the sack with the chickens. Oh well, will just have to get used to it.
And speaking of chickens, they are nearing the time that they should start laying their first eggs. Yay! They are 5 1/2 months old now, so any day I am expecting to look and find a small egg. To help “tell” them where to lay, I have placed several brown wooden eggs and white golf balls in their nests filled with hay. My dad had told me back in 2008 when I first got chickens that the old timers did this, and it has worked over the years, so I’ll stick with it. I know it seems crazy, but it actually does work.
With the colder weather upon us, I begin making winter preparations on the island. I make sure and stay stocked up on bottles of propane for heating, and have more gasoline and groceries on hand, especially canned goods, for bad weather times when I cannot cross the bay for supplies. I’ll also have my nice warm flannel sheets and quilt on the bed.
With cooler weather and north winds, the tides also begin staying lower, as they have finally started doing. For several months the tides were extremely high, well past my front yard fence, but they are now pretty much back to normal. Mother Nature has a way of averaging weather and tides out, just gotta be patient.
I’ve been going in and staying the evening and overnight with my mom, Leona, in Seadrift once a week. I enjoy being able to spend time with her and helping with whatever she might need. For the past several years my sister, Sherry, has been the backbone of support and care for my mom and dad. You are a wonderful sister, Sherry, and we have been blessed and grateful to have you shoulder these responsibilities. I love you, sister.
About twice a year I have to trim the palm tree fronds (limbs), from the eight trees in my yard, and I just recently completed that task. The trees are about 25 feet tall now, so it requires using a ladder and eight foot long battery powered pole saw, and it takes most of the day to complete. I cut easily over a hundred fronds and burned them a few at a time in a burn pit in the yard. The palms always look so much nicer and cleaner after being trimmed.
Speaking of looking much nicer, thanks to my best friend and organizer extraordinaire, Susan, my kitchen, pantry and bathroom look wonderful! Everything is now very neat and orderly, including drawers and cabinets, and dividers/racks in the pantry give me much more needed space. And at her recommendation, I also removed the old non-working AC unit from a kitchen window, and now have a better view and much more great lighting. Thank you so much, Susan, for your help. . you are a wonderful best friend. Now just to finish the broom closet and upstairs. . . umm, and paint the house. Ha!
I have two projects underway right now, building another 12’x26’ garage and getting my Christmas lights/decorations put up. I’m still hoping to get a tractor for the island, and I’ll keep it stored in the new garage. And if not, the garage will be used for extra storage. Working alone, large building projects take time, but I’ll slowly get it finished. And I’m shooting for Thanksgiving to have the Christmas lights up and going at the Bennetsen island cabin. If all goes as planned, you will be able to see my place lit up and all Christmacy from POC!
Well that’s it from the island for now, everyone take care and have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends.
