Applesauce

Just a short update.  It is apple season so I made some applesauce.  It won't be quite as sweet as normal since I used up all my sugar making drinks (mostly margaritas) on my last vacation and never replenished it.  It isn't tart (the reason I normally sweeten it) because the apples themselves were smaller and sweeter than normal so it is still good, and has a little stronger apple flavor than normal. 

Some of the apples are really small this year.  

They weren't juicy (a product of the drought I would assume), so they cooked down quickly.  Cider has also been hard to find.  I ended up using Hannaford brand cider which is pretty meh and expensive (they only carry the organic stuff) since the Champlain Valley Orchard cider they normally carry wasn't available this year.  We have local orchards in the area, perhaps next year I will just go pick the apples myself and get cider directly at the orchard.

It was chilly (56F) in my house this morning; fall is definitely here.  Courtesy of the large amounts of rain we have gotten the last couple of weeks though, the fall colors have stalled.  Hopefully this means we will have a normal foliage season.  The really early changers pretty much went to straight brown and fell off.  We have even been degraded from severe drought to just drought.  Still no word from the zoning board.  The weekend is supposed to be nice, albeit cool, so hopefully I can get one or two things done.

Before winter:

• Deal with town and get the variance.
• Finish distributing pile of dirt.
• Determine method of clearing snow. 
• Driveway winter prep.
• Clean off the slab.  
• Clean out the carport.  Decide what to do with the power center.
  
• Mulch the leaves.
• Ensure the shed will make it through the winter.  Shed pilings
• Knock down the dead knotweed. 
• Winterize equipment.  
• Run mowers out of gas, put diesel treatment in the tractor, change oil in snowblower, rearrange the carport, put weight in the back of the truck, prep heat pump (clean filter), disconnect hose.  Fire up generator.  Take down bug zapper.
  
• Also note that my tractor is due for its first servicing.
  
• Install the driveway markers.

Winter projects: 

• Get the building permit.
• Complete detailed house plans.
• Work with La Valley to get a concrete contractor.  Get the plan/schedule in place. 
  
• Design future method of travel.  Consider building the prototype.
  
• Shed floor.
• Shed windows.
• Fix generator box.  Decide/do something about power center.
  
• Clear/mark walking trails.