[Queen Bee]

Since , I am NOT a fan of winter, I always spend lots of time securing everything trying to get ready.

The quilts are washed, the vents under the house are closed, the non-freeze proof facuets are covered, hoses are disconnected. Animals have fresh shavings, freezers are overflowing and winter close are ready. The gas tank is full, generators are in top condition and the tractors, trucks have antifreeze... Dh has been trimming back the tree limbs that hang over our very long drive!! I think we are ready!!!! Are you?

 

[Riverdale]

Nope, I'm not. I have insulating and winterizing left to do. That should be done by Thanksgiving weekend. I hope....:facepalm:

 

[Use Less]

It has been surprisingly warm here, so I have left a lot in the gardens that I would have pulled and tossed or composted by now. No frost or freeze yet. I picked the last tomatoes YESTERDAY. I did clean up the garage so yard furniture and ladders can go away quickly and easily soon. I had ideas of painting the pickets and some window frames, but maybe late for that, though they're saying 60s mid-week here.

 

[Whisperwindkat]

I was on a good track to have everything done by now and then I lost track. I have all the caulking around windows and doors done now to put the plastic over them and hang the window quilts. I always put that off until the last minute because I hate the house being so dark. They really make a difference in how warm it stays in here. My husband got most of the wood cut and split. What is left to split will most likely be used in January or February. I however am terribly behind on stacking up the kindling. The garden is mostly put to bed, but there is a compost pile that needs to be moved soon. The barns are all ready and the hay is in. I despise winter as I don't tolerate cold at all and never can seem to warm up even when everyone else is sweating in the house. So the less I have to spend outside in the cold the better. Blessings, Kat

 

[Ceilismom]

Closed up the windows that can be closed on the chicken barn, and had the kids put down a fresh layer of shavings. We mulched all the trees, shrubs and perennials that were newly planted this spring. We don't have as much firewood cut and stacked as I' like to have, but probably just enough for this winter. We moved the heifers to fresh pasture with a pond in it, still need to fix fence so we can do the same for the cows. All in all, we're not quite buttoned up, but pretty close.

 

[chickenista]

Too early here.
Yep.. it's freezing cold with incredibly high winds and places near us are getting heavy, heavy snow, but it will be back in the upper 70's in a few days.

 

[Laura Zone 5]

No.
I cried on my way to work as the first snow fell out of the sky.
I was on the verge of a panic attack while at work, when it was snowing sideways.
It's sunny today, praise the Lord....

I am not ready for winter. I did not plan on being here......so I am behind the 8 ball!!

 

[Mickey]

Since I got rid of my goats there wasn't any push to put hay in, and my dh is going to finish getting the big stall in the garage finished this week-end so I can bring the rest of my chickens from the barn up here. It's so nice not to have to go outside to do chores all winter The wood is all cut and split and will be stacked in the woodshed in the next week or so, so yes we're pretty much ready.

 

[willow_girl]

We're getting there!

We have plenty of firewood (always a big concern of mine, as my third husband and I also heated with wood, but he was a procrastinator. Numb says I have lingering "cold trauma"! But we had one of the coldest winters on record here last year, and still had better than a cord of wood left over at the end, so I'm starting to relax a bit, I think.)

We have 2 run-in sheds here for the critters, and since Marianne the cow is here now, Numb sealed them both, so they can have their pick as to where to sleep. Plenty of room! My cows at the farm also have 2 sheds, and those are both clean and in good shape, too, after the work we did last weekend.

We still have to winterize my water system at the farm, and run some PVC here to make it easier to fill the stock tank without having to drain a hose every day. When it was just the goats, Numb watered them with buckets, but that's a little harder to do with a cow, so we'll pipe it instead.

I still have a few dozen pots to empty from my container garden, but we haven't had a hard frost yet (strangely enough!) so I've been enjoying my plants to the bitter end!

 

[soulsurvivor]

There's no trees overhanging the property anywhere, the electric is backed up with 2 lines of defense, and there's plenty of food, water, and medical supplies to keep us safely hunkered down for weeks if need be. All the lawn equipment still has to be serviced and put to bed but there's probably still some mowing left to do before the really cold blows in here.

Dare I say it, but I think we're almost ready.

 

[Wendy]

I need to fill the oil tank yet. It's half full right now. I have back up heat & plenty of food & water. Plenty of hay. I want to lay in more feed for the rabbits & chickens yet. I have plenty of quilts to quilt & crafts to do when it's nasty outside.

 

[bluefish]

Got the firewood and got all the hay in a couple of months ago. We're good to go!

 

[manygoatsnmore]

I'm NEVER ready for winter, but that's mainly a mental thing - I love sunshine and long days, and don't do as well when the days shorten and the sunlight is weak and/or rare.

I have enough wood and plenty more standing or downed/dry wood to cut and store for next year (and maybe a bit for this year if it's extra cold), and the garden is mostly done for the year, with just potatoes left to dig. They're still growing, so I'm in no hurry to dig them. Taking the a/c unit out of the window today.

 

[Trixie]

Emotionally - no. I was ready for some cooler weather, but not ready for cold yet

 

[highlands]

Ready? No such thing. Always getting ready for winter. Then it hits. There is always stuff to do and we keep doing it.

 

[Kristabelle]

Ugh no.

We are having a new furnace installed tomorrow and DF's dad is rerouting the duct work this weekend. This house is naturally cold (it's about 15 degrees colder inside the house than it is out..which is great in the summer, but not so much in the winter) so we've been unexpectedly freezing our tails off this weekend after a surprise Halloween flurry. We NEVER get snow before December here so we were NOT expecting that! BLAH! It's warmed back up to the mid 60s now so hopefully it keeps that way for awhile while the boys get our heating rigged up.

I'm still pricing chimney sweeps. My grandparents rarely used the fireplace so I don't even want to try firing it up until they clean it out.

We will also begin wrapping the windows this week. I always hated winterizing because it felt like we were boxing ourselves in but it's a necessary evil, I suppose.

I did put fresh hay in the dog house though. That counts for something. We have two that share a small shed as their house, and they are enjoying building their nest.

 

[unregistered358967]

Denial.

 

[michiganfarmer]

Pretty close. I need to put the snow blower in the tractor, and cut a little more firewood.

 

[Grandmotherbear]

Yes, I'm planting my garden!:thumb:

 

[Brushy hogs]

Ugh! Never ready for winter! I hate the cold. LOL... Finally filled the propane tank and cleaned the chimney on the wood stove.. still need to chop LOTS of wood! Still need to make sure the vehicles are running at there best and make sure our tires are good. Did buy lots of candles and other emergency supplies in case of power outages... "one day at a time" always seems to get the best of me.