The Changing Seasons – November and December in Review

Well, I’ve gone and done it again!  I’ve let time get away from me again!

And so, with just a few days left in the year, I’ve decided to play a bit of catch up by combining my monthly reviews of November and December into one Changing Seasons post.  Lucky you, you get two posts for the price of one 😉

November

November brought us falling temperatures, lots of frost, and our very first dusting of actual snow.  The goats got their fluffy winter coats and the turkeys enjoyed the last of their days with sunshine on their backs and plenty of free-ranging.

We realized about mid-winter that we hadn’t properly planned our wood out for the winter, so called in a favor from a neighbor who was kind enough to bring a cord over promptly and not charge us an arm and leg for it. Heating our home mainly with firewood is a learning curve for us, for sure, but holds a sense of comfort as well.  I have to say, we still take a lot of things for granted as Newbies trying out this homesteading life.  We’re learning, definitely, and we’ll do better next year, but sometimes I shake my head at us and our silliness.

December

December’s brought another couple of dustings of snow and some pretty nasty ice, but no real (deeper than an inch or two) snow to speak of, which is different for us (as people…not sure about the area, yet).  I have to remind myself that we’re currently living ~2,000 feet lower in elevation than I’m used to, so the warmth we have here in comparison to  my home town has a considerable affect on our winter weather.  Now, we’re further north than before, too, so we’ll see how this all shakes out.

On another note, all three goats (and Akuna!) went into heat mid-December, but only Mama was lucky enough to do anything about it.  I’ll have to fill you in on the details a little later, but I thought it was worth mentioning here in terms of “farm seasons” 🙂  Let me tell you, having a bunch of female animals on the property is taking us to a whole new level of adventure!

Though the end of the year brought with it some intense storms around the US (and right here in NM, too) it seems as though we’re still waiting for winter to really arrive here in our little corner of the world. With the season just beginning, and what is supposed to be an intense El Nino pattern this year, I’m hopeful we’ll see some good snow here in village…because really, if it’s going to be as cold as it has been, it might as well snow, right?  Yeah…I’s much rather see more white than brown for at least a little while this winter!

Now, curious to see what’s happening with the season around the world?  Check out Cardnal Guzman’s The Changing Seasons.  He’s going to continue the monthly challenge throughout 2016, with a bit of a twist (options!), so if you’d like to participate in the New Year, I highly recommend it!  I’ll definitely be playing along and am looking forward to utilizing the options he’s given…especially since some months don’t seem to be a challenge to get the post up, while others…well…you know 😉

Until next time, stay cozy and safe, my friends!

xoxo,
M