The weather is turning colder but we're having an unusual string of sunny days. This is good! The cool temperatures are a clear warning about winter coming, overcoming my procrastination, and the sunshine makes it easy to prepare. My wardrobe has already changed -- I'm in flannel-shirt mode, and will be until April.

Because of the work we had done on our water wells, we have exposed piping that has to be winterized, and it's time to mow the pasture one last time before winter sets in. It won't do to have tall grass up against the sides of the house in the winter -- it leads to rot.

We've got about two years' worth of wood in the shed, so that's no problem.

While our hens are out on pasture all winter, in small draggable houses, little needs to be done for them. The last step after all the mowing is to string several hundred feet of extension cord so we can put birdbath heaters in all the waterers. The garden hose will freeze on cold nights, but the daytime highs are almost always above freezing in this climate, so keeping the waterers from freezing solid is adequate.