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What goals do you have for (or before) winter?

682 views 15 replies 15 participants last post by  silvergirl 
#1 ·
An adaptation of the other goal thread.

1. Finish underpenning trailer.

2. Invest in propane heaters, or build a room on for a wood stove.

3. Build better, tighter goat shelter

4. Build another cold frame for the raised beds

5. Burn brush if burn ban is lifted

6. Plant windbreak

7. Stockpile more hay just in case all my lovely browse is not enough

8. Cut more wood

9. Winterize the house

10. Winterize the vehicles

11. Lie in bed one day and read because it is cold and rainy outside, with everything being taken care of for once. (I hope)
 
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#2 ·
Well, I am not sure I will accomplish it all, but I would like to;

Finish laying the laminate flooring in the house, I only have one large room and two very small rooms to go.

Put in a few more ceiling can light fixtures so I can read at a comfortable angle.

Outside, I would like to get some kind of orchard grass planted under the fruit trees.

Lay more landscape fabric around my greenhouse so it will look nice and not ratty with grass growing up everywhere.

Clean out and organize the inside of the greenhouse, it's a mess.

Build a few more small square raised beds for planting next spring; perhaps four or five beds that are about 3'x4' each.

I have wood for firewood, just need to split and stack it, but that is cool weather work.

Oh, new soffits under the eaves, and to paint the new fascia boards that were put up a few months ago.

That is all I can think of right now. I did so much over the spring and summer that I accomplished my main goals (new roof on the house, new fascia boards, new electrical service, most of the house has new floors, some new fixtures, refinished kitchen cabinets, repainted inside, some new landscape plants, part of the carport at the back of the house enclosed).

I'd like to lay in bed and read on a rainy day too, but it's hard to find a good book.
 
#4 ·
about 70+ feet of concrete porches and roof

rebuild or replace a window that is boarded over

sealing a few back porch roof leaks and unsided areas under 3 replacement windows

wood furnace door gasket

8 more cords of firewood

hopefully empty and stabilize or cover a 180 year old log structure that is collapsing from a bad roof...dangerous job there

a bit of tin for a garage roof leak

window caulking and painting for 9-12 windows

parge basement walls and or rebuild sections

french drain by the garden (maybe in the spring)

get a job

the other 4 outbuildings and the barn will have to wait for spring

solar hot water and hot air projects at my leisure
 
#6 ·
Finish fencing in the garden plot
Install garden irrigation
Figure out some way to combat the bermuda grass that's currently in the garden plot :(
Tighten up and re-paint the large run-in shed in the dog run
Finally finish my dang round pen...posts are all set, just need to purchase and put up all the utility panels I plan to use
Build dutch doors for the north-facing opening for the run in horse stall, so when the wind howls down from Canada I can shut it out!
Take my border collie to the sheepdog trainers
Set up my "sun shower"
Reduce our household expenses so that our lives are less stressful!
 
#7 ·
insulate/repair windows, (old windows ... 20 of them! ouch!)

weather strip around doors.

caulk everything caulkable.

cut wood for wood stove.

get some large rugs for chilly floors.

finish quilts for the boys.

build a run-in shelter for the horses.

build a better shelter for the hogs.

oh my.. thats a lot! better get busy
 
#8 ·
Get up firewood, build a trator shed, clean the logs on the cabin and seal it, lay a stone floor in the solarum, put on gutters, save seeds, lay out sea weed after I go and get it from the sea, do some fishing, and frog gigging, put a wood cook stove in the solarum and learn how to cook on it. take some photos, do some pen and inks for christmas gifts.
 
#9 ·
Maybe buy the house we live in, it's not a homestead but it's a start. If that goes, i'll need to put three support posts in the old horse barn along with some braces and put some rain gutters to stop the run off rain water from shifting the concrete wall foundation.
verify brick chimeny and install a woodstove but that all depends on insurance.
 
#10 ·
Clean up dooryard, including selling the two disfunctional tractors and 600' of chain link fence there.
Finish re-siding east wall of the house, including a coat of primer and two coats of paint.
Put the contents of my neighbors horse stall cleaning pile into my garden.
Plant garlic.
Plant bulbs for spring flowers.
Harvest all root crops (potatoes, onions, beets, carrots) and get them into the root cellar.
Plant winter cover crops.
Kill Bambi
Insulate some more.
Move wood into basement and woodshed.
Clean last winter's accumulation out of ruminants' winter shelter.
Cut up several downed trees.
Build a Sauna.
Make sauerkraut.
 
#12 ·
My one single goal for this winter is to finish remodeling my large bathroom. I have everything to finish it, just need the time to get in there and do the work. Right now the walls don't even have the sheet rock up yet, just the insulation staring at us day in and day out. Subfloor is down, but it would be nice to get the ceramic tile in place. Need to build a 1/2 wall in the middle of the room, then bring the vanity in from the storage shed and get the water and drain lines connected. Lots to do before it's finished. I sure do miss having my son here to help out!
 
#13 ·
I am going to Enjoy Fall, which hasn't started yet -- too hot and still a drought (driest in 43 years!)

OK, it would be nice to;
  • Add 4 double glazed windows to the (my) shop
  • Put the 6" insulation in the shop roof/ceiling, cover with plastic
  • Get and insulate 4" walls
  • Put on interior sheathing
  • Install two flues and wood stoves in shop
  • Relocate shop bench in final location
  • Add glass to shop side door
  • Install shop side door
  • Make removable shutters for all shop windows
  • Paint shop (maybe next spring -- need more water to high pressure first?)
  • Varnish the walls, ceiling and floor of the outhouse


'New' (given my neighbors and moved 1 mile by us) shop needs high pressuring and painting in spring


Relocate bench to exterior wall after, electrical, another window added, wall insulation and sheathing added


Sand and varnish -- 3 coats walls, 8 coats floor and seat area (we just finished adding the T&G Pine to the walls last week)


Shutters are on windows -- we are leaving for awhile. No comments from the real carpenters about the caulking at the corners -- they are tight enough -- except for an outhouse -- needs to be airtight -- with ventilation thru the two operable windows and glazed door -- and lower area vent thru 4" pipe 3' above roof)

Well my list sounds like great-fun to me,

Alex
 
#14 ·
My goals before winter:
#1 Get enough hay for my sheep ( and reduce my flock).
#2 Get some heating system in. None here . Am hoping to also get a woodstove as a back up.
#3 Get my previous house sold so I can do the above. Guess this should be first on my list. Unfortunately, we had it sold back end of June ( or so we thought. I had retired from my job and moved here) Than the flood came, buyers backed out and I sit up here broke and so much to do :Bawling:(There was flood insurance to cover house damage but none for barn damage, lost fencing, property damage)
#4 Get a roof over my two outside doors before snow and ice weather.
#5 MAYBE get a roomate to help with chores and as a little income. But thats an area I am a little hesitant about. Any input on this?
Aside from the above, I am content here. Nice neighbors, beautiful area, and am finally on the family homestaed. :)
 
#15 ·
Goals before Cold weather:
Finish the draft horse/blacksmith shop side of the big barn (big job)
Cover the riding arena
install wall heaters in house
cut and stack firewood
build a hen house (portable/moveable)
Take hay to my parents in Texas
knit at least one work sweater
and naturally all the fall garden stuff....
I'm sure I will think of at least a hundred more things in the weeks to come!
 
#16 ·
The list could be e-nor-mous-ly long!!!

I want to build a papercrete shed to house my chickens, goat, and rabbits who are all still in makeshift shelters since we moved back to the mountains...

Make an enclosure - finally - that will keep our escape-mastermind dog from roaming the entire mountain!!!

Finish our 'bonus room' downstairs...

Sell our home - yes, it is in conflict with building the shed, sort of... but if the house doesn't sell, we will need the shelter and if it does, it'll be a nice plus for the new owners...

Put up more preserves... particularly applesauce and apple jelly and apple chips and apple... well, you get the picture!

Build our cold frames... for at least a four by twelve garden...

Clear the scrub on the mountainside here and plant barley grass and clover for my goat to browse...

Put in stairs from the deck to the basement level of the house and re-finish the side deck, dropping it down to ground level (and buy a hot tub!!!)

Get our homesteaders 'large tract of land' purchasing group organised and ready to buy the land... so we can move by spring for sure!

Clean, sort and sell junk/stuff in our two (!!!) storage lockers...

and the list goes on....

Silvergirl
 
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