I was getting read for bed the other night a began to realize the our evening and night time check list is probably a little different from other people we know. Here is a sample:
1) doors and windows locked (pretty normal)
2) Goats milked
3) All animals fed (birds, goats, cats, dog, pigs, sheep, etc)
4) wood stove burning good (to keep the chill out at night)
5) extra firewood in case it is really cold at night or in the morning
6) Glasses near the bed if I need to get up at night and see things
7) Guns loaded, spear/sword ready and flashlight on had in case I need to kill anything at night.
Number 7 is the one that caught my attention and the fact that I have several guns ready depending on what I may need to kill that night, after all there is no point in using the wrong caliber/weapon is there? In the past we have had a problem with nighttime predators preying on our livestock, so my answer was to be ready to kill any beastie that was in our fence line and after my families food. Now with Zuzu here and on guard it has not been a problem but I still have everything ready just in case Zuzu needs a hand with a pesky intruder.
Life on the homestead changes your thinking in some quite fundamental ways; you think less about what you need and more about what you have on hand, the weather lets you know what you will be eating, you think ahead more than a year at a time, you spend more time enjoying what IS and less time worrying about what may be, longevity is more highly valued in everything from clothing to tools, recycling is done on the property not in the bin, cycles are not just a way of life but are life its self and as such death is part of life no matter if it is the death of a carrot, a pig or a predator trying to steal food from my family.
Hope winter is treating you all well.
