Cold winds of October

Wow, I can't believe that it has been such a long time since I last posted anything.  It was a great summer & the garden & fruit trees were very productive, however, I do think that I took too much work on to be able to do it all.  Next year, I will downsize the garden & make it more compact which, I believe, will create more veggies & fruit & less work for me.  It seems like I spent most of the summer on my knees weeding and digging in the dirt. 
Our chickens are just coming out of their molting period and, therefore, eggs have not been very plentiful.  Today, my husband found 9 in the coop which is a lot better than the last few weeks.  I've been doing a lot of baking lately so I really could use the extra eggs and friends & relatives have been asking for them, too.  I feel bad for the hens that are going through the molt since they look terrible & I know that they're embarrassed of their appearance.
We have 4 beautiful Bourbon Red turkeys (2 toms & 2 hens) and they are getting huge.  We got them when they were about a week old (on Father's Day) and they are now gobbling up a storm every time that they hear a human voice or they see a car come up our driveway ~ they definitely are great watchdogs.  My husband thinks that we should butcher them in a few weeks but I'm balking at that since I would like to breed them and sell the poults next Spring.  Those beautiful birds have grown on me & on 3 of our grandsons who see them every day.
I have been very busy lately between visiting my mother who lives with my brother & his family, visiting my Dad in the nursing home, babysitting my 3 grandsons and trying to find time to visit my daughter who lives about 45 minutes away.  Sandwiched in between is spending time with my husband, taking care of the house, laundry, ironing, etc., etc., etc.   All in all, it has been crazy here lately.  I'm hoping that things slow down soon so that I can do some on-line Christmas shopping & crafts for gifts.  Being retired and living on social security, there isn't much left at the end of the month to spend a lot on gifts so, of course, the grandkids (5 boys) will come first and the other gifts will be from the heart and not the pocketbook ~ baked goods, homemade soups & sauces & some primitive signs & cross-stitch projects.  I'm sure that family members will understand.  Besides, they know that the love is there & the best kind of gifts are handmade.
The weather has been beautiful but the next few days are forecast to be much colder.  It wouldn't surprise me at all if we get our first snow before November rolls in.  The fire in the woodstove has been crackling every morning & evening to keep the house warm & hubby & I have been hauling wood from the back of our property as time allows.  The porch is piled high with future warmth (logs) & there is more in the barn.  I'm hoping that the weather isn't too cold too soon ~ there's still a lot to do to prepare for winter's icy winds & snow.