rear door getting new weather stripping, threshold work, etc

Things are settling into winter mode here. Not a lot going on but trying to focus on projects that can't be done once real cold sets in. I started painting the interior of the side/basement entry/stairway but will wait for it to be closer to 70 again so the paint can dry with the doors open. It was 60 in the house this a.m. when I woke- the coolest it's been so far. Outside, I think it was down in the 40's over night. The neighbors tulip polar tree is all yellow-orange leaves now. My house plants are back indoors and yesterday, I think, was the first day I kept all the windows closed- as it didn't make it above 58 degrees. It's time to put the hose up I guess- and shut off the water to outdoor faucets...and come up with some curtains to close off my extra rooms and the door way to rear porch/entry. Winter.

basement stairway getting fresh paint...and lotsa caulk

Petra eats apples- after playing with them a while.

Where was I?
The "hutch thing" I built to separate the kitchen/dining from hall/bath now has the lower portion primed- so I can picture the finished look now. I racked another jug of apple hooch into mason jars- ready for drinking. The 2 jugs from the home juiced apples are fermenting well.

I'm still getting chard and beet greens from the garden bed. The sauteed/steamed greens, with some chopped onions and apple cider vinegar are to be missed.

framing the wall using 2x6's

I left the basement stairway/entrance work to be continued another day and started on the wall outside the bathroom- separating the entrance and clothing shelves from the kitchen/dining area. I made a wall of 2x6's with bead board ply on kitchen side as a wainscoting, shelves in the middle with bead board backing and a transom window at top. So now I don't have to look at the clothes while in the kitchen.

mostly done except for trim and finish

the rot in basement entry/stairwell

Finally- some fall rainy days to be inside and get to the basement entry/stairwell work. I dealt with the rotted sheathing from the back side and cut out rotted bead board and replaced it. I dealt with the lack of flashing on the outside on that little roof and started putting in shelves by the side entry door.

the old window behind the siding- now covered inside

now it looks like this- ready for paint work

The latest batches of hard cider brewing from home juiced apples are very active.

Petra walking the tracks in Colorado- a bit s.e of Salida

I picked the last of the red tomatoes and green and red peppers. I harvested a bunch of the 2 varieties of chard and some beets and beet greens and made a big pot of soup using a jar of canned chicken I helped kill and process a year or so ago. It's that time of year for soups and the wood stove. I am drying more homegrown urban-scavenged sliced apples too. Also, I have started 3 more gallon batches of hard cider in the past week. 1 with juice from Paonia and 2 using juice from local homegrown apples juiced in a juicer with about a quart of fresh juiced crab apples in each of those.

I cleaned the wood stove and had the first fire of the season a few nights ago. Petra laid down next to it's warmth. Oh, also I properly mounted some metal an inch of the walls behind and to the side of the stove- a piece of scrap stainless and a washing machine front.

Just before the recent trip I picked up a shell for the truck- a $100 Craigs List special. It worked out well and didn't seem to negatively effect the mpg.

I'm back from Colorado. A lot of tomatoes on the vines and no time to deal with them. The chard patch is still doing fine- I missed the fresh greens. In Colorado, at Delicious Orchards , I camped and ate lots of apples fresh from the trees.

survey stakes found

Friday thru Monday, each day I went to a 15 acre property to inspect land, water and structures.

Petra investigating some field

sitting on The Mound

some wooded pasture waiting for a cabin

the back side of The(sit-upon) Mound

the cow across the street wanted to be pet

Petra liked to swim in the farmers ditch at front of property