Dennis and Donald Ida (89) admire the size and quality of the apples at Class Apple in Eau Claire.

We went apple-picking at Class Apple south of Eau Claire, WI, with my in-laws on a few days ago. Mother-in-law Elizabeth was searching for McIntosh apples for preserving and pies. Unfortunately arthritis makes it hard for her to get around these days, so she waited in the car to inspect our haul.

We ended up arriving there 1-1/2 hours before the official opening hour, but thankfully co-owner Dale Young opened the gate for us. Dale said they’ve been blessed with some great soil on their hillside orchard, thereby reducing the need for fertilizer and spraying. He noted some of the trees are twice as large as a neighboring tree–all due to a fertile spot. They use IPM techniques and traps to monitor the pest population, and  spray only when needed.

Some of the other varieties of apples grown in the Class Apple orchard are Connell Red, Cortland, Honey Gold and Empire. Visit them at: http://www.classapple.com/Class_Apple/Welcome.html

We had a pleasant surprise. We found out Socks had two kittens in the workshop storage space. (Sadly last night Dennis found a dead one we didn’t know existed, lying behind the boards.) Ok, the ripped-up insulation wasn’t a great find, but you have to give her credit for finding them a warm home in the dark and damp space this late in the year.

We thought she looked pregnant after we moved this summer, but “suddenly” she was her normal thin self and spent a lot of time hanging around us, so we never suspected. She’s about 10 years old now and we thought she miscarried. (She looked that way this past spring, too, with no offspring to show for it.) These little guys are getting plenty of human attention and are already peeking out to meet us when we go to the shed.

Socks is an excellent mouser, so hopefully she’ll pass on her skills to these two! Melissa named them Daisy (female, left) and Gatsby (male, right).

DGJ T-SHIRTS

The new Dairy Goat Journal T-shirts have arrived to join those for Countryside, Backyard Poultry, and sheep!

The name of the magazine is on the back and on the front it says, “Have you hugged your KIDS today?”

All of our T-shirts make great gifts for homesteaders and those who love goats, poultry, and sheep!

This is one of those rainy, cold, dreary fall days, which I actually enjoy—for a time. It’s such a contrast to the bright, dry weather we’ve had for the past few weeks. On the other hand I know it’s going to be drearier as the next few months go on, and the days continue to get shorter and colder. But for now it’s nice to grab a cup of warm Celestial Seasonings apple spice tea and a handful of wrapped caramels (meant to enhance the overload of apples in the garage).

We haven’t had frost here in the Chippewa Valley yet—but we know our luck won’t hold out much longer. We will have some more firewood after the brisk winds yesterday. Strangely the trees that fell looked a lot healthier and stronger than some “sticks” that are still standing.

The live trees fall (above), while the dead ones hang on…go figure.

At least this tree (below) hasn’t come down on the shed yet.

Oh, and those white spots are raindrops, not snow!