A lot of people ask me what we do all winter. In the fall we cut back some of our stock for harvesting and simplicity through the lean season. But we still have plenty of critters to tend to and it can be a bigger challenge in the freezing temperatures. Even though we aren't rotating livestock and the poultry shelters have been parked for the season everyone gets hay continuously and water troughs have to have heaters or for most of our stock we manage them manually by breaking ice or carrying buckets of fresh water twice a day when it gets really cold. In addition to tending to animals we try to find time to do some tree trimming thinning the woods and taking out the dead limbs and trees. Winter is a great season for fencing projects as well. But for the most part I spend winter looking back on the year and planning for the one ahead. That means going through all of our financial records, setting up planning meetings for production, introducing new species, designing the garden layout, estimating expenses and all kinds of other things. But the best part is we have time for all of the things we've been putting off. Quilting, baking, even simple stuff like cleaning or sleeping in! So friends enjoy the season of relaxation.