dropping leaves and clocks
Winter has us in her bony clutches once again, and all of Maine is scrambling to squeeze out a few more days outside without our boots on. And of course, prepare all our stuff for the big freeze. Winter preparation is a little more intense for us, since a) we’re preparing a big fancy tent with a history of frozen pipes, and b) we’ve decided to wuss out and spend the winter elsewhere. Not that it’s impossible to live in a yurt in the winter–the kids and I braved it last year–but we just won’t be around enough during the day to keep the fire going with work and all. This absence means that we’ll have to prepare more thoroughly against prolonged cold, and more importantly, against mice. And even more importantly, against mousepies. I’m not quite sure how we’ll do it without killing or using awful chemicals, but we’re definitely open to suggestions.
We’ve been readying the garden for sleep too, filling up the compost bin and burning weeds and scraps of wood. Joe’s determined to turn the place into a mini Versailles, and is just finishing up on the first of what I suspect to be many random and adorably unnecessary retaining walls. This one replaced a big patch of rotting stumps and giant plantains, so I’m not complaining.
I’ve been idly working on a new pair of fingerless gloves for myself, and I’ve got high hopes of actually finishing them. Both of them. It’s OK if I only get through one though, it can be a hippie tribute to MJ. Right?
Halloween was bittersweet this year, as poor little Lucy had swine flu and was left with grandma while we took Zoe on the ghost train and then dragged her through the back streets of Damariscotta. She lost her steam pretty quick, and no amount of chocolate could persuade her to stay out past 7pm. Not even my childhood tales of being forced to walk 40 blocks in the freezing cold with no shoes on. Uphill. In a turkey costume. She did manage to stay awake until 9:30 though, after descending upon her stash.
Filed under: craftiness, garden, kids, local, yurt stuff on November 3rd, 2009
I’ve read that mice hate the smell of peppermint. Leave cotton balls saturated with strong peppermint oil in corners of your home and it may deter them.
I found your blog via Erin @ Bluebirdbaby. I’m in love with your yurt! I’d love to pick your brain about it sometime. We’re going on the road for awhile but we’d like to find land and we’ve talked about a yurt.
P.S. If you wonder who it is spending several hours at a time on your blog, that would be me as I listen to all 199 songs on your playlist.
Hi, just popped over here from etsy. I used to live in an off-the-grid mudbrick studio and fought with mice for years. The best thing I found is to stuff every crevice, hole, gap, sliver, doorway gaps, window holes with steel wool. You can buy it in rolls at the hardware shop or you can use the kind you get to clean dishes with. They won’t chew through it at all.