Autumn finished up with a few projects that are always the last in garden tasks of the year. Hazel took the lead in getting 2026's garlic crop into the ground and remembered every step from start to finish. Along with settling the garlic in for a winter rest we also pulled up all of our dahlia bulbs to store away for the winter. Those get stored inside in hopes to have a bumper crop of flowers next season.
We did find that the chipmunks seem to be finding the tubers quicker this season and maybe next year we will try to pull them a little sooner, but alas we got all the viable tubers dug up and into the cellar before the real frost blankets started.
With a busy schedule we just rested the tubers on the cellar floor for a week or so before finding time to correctly pack them away for the sleepy winter.
A couple storage containers and some cedar chip bedding material is how we chose to store them.
Trimming any green material and soft spots will hopefully increase our chances that many of these will make it into next years garden!
We will probably check on them monthly and discard any spots with mold or rot, more on this project in the spring!
After putting the garden to bed and celebrating our kiddos 9th birthday our attention turned to the holidays and we celebrated Thanksgiving at home with some relatives and a smorgasbord of local food delights including this free range turkey that made its way into a couple weeks worth of feasting pf leftovers including a hearty turkey stock.
With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror it was on to deck the homestead out for the Christmas season, just in time for the snow to start falling and the deep chill setting the tone for the dark cold days of winter.
As part of our holiday celebration, we snagged some tickets to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones "jingle all the way" holiday concert. Their holiday album has always been a staple of our seasonal playlist so it was exciting to take Hazel to another concert and get to see the magic happen live!
We had great seats as always, thanks to Cassi's quick trigger finger, ticket snatching and the concert delivered a nice dose of the holiday spirit... going on for almost 3hrs... on a school night!
With Christmas fast approaching Hazel kept us busy with a few stellar Nutcracker performances that were done through her dance studio and she also didn't skip a beat learning some new holiday tunes on violin during her private lessons that prompted her to put together a special performance for our family on Christmas Eve!
Christmas morning arrived with some much needed vacation time following for myself and Cassi. Hazel enjoyed a plethora of crafts and games along with some choice Lego sets that keep her busy on those frigid winter days.
The winter has been more predictable this year with regular snow blankets, bookended by frigid stretches of temperature drops and a few hefty storms that have seemed less common the last few years.
We have been taking advantage of the deep snowpack by observing animal tracks and picturesque landscapes along with some classic winter activities like sledding and snowman building!
While outdoor time is always important, winter allows for ample time inside as well. Part of my new year goals was to get back to finding more time in the Rootcellar Studio creating more music and art. After putting some time in organizing the vinyl library as the new year approached, I have taken off running with a focus on making a few mixes a week and just taking an hour or two a day to sit and enjoy the vast catalog of music we have accumulated over the years. Hazel has noticed me disappearing into the cellar more often and in turn has been joining me on occasion and enjoys picking out the cool looking albums to listen too and also showing a bit of an interest in the "art of djing".
Todays after sledding selection was Fat Freddy's Drop - Blackbird.
Along with sifting through the depths of my vinyl library I have also started accumulating lots of new releases along with scouring the globe for some long lost gems that have been on my want list for a very long time.
Its also been fun bringing some of my artistic creativity into the design aspect of curating and uploading the mixes. Through photography, graphic design and some video editing, I have been scratching my creative itch and am stoked about where I can take this as I fully engross myself into the potential of being an online "deejay"!
As you may be able to tell based on the covers, I have been heavy into free and spiritual jazz as of recent, but expect the typical eclectic array of music to be dropping as the seasons change and my focus shifts like the weather patterns.
LISTEN HERE: WWW.MIXCLOUD.COM/LOCALROOTZ
As always thanks for visiting, as the temps warm you can expect more homesteading content but also check back as my art and music evolve into this new space while we navigate the frozen days of a Maine winter, I am here to embrace and endure.
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