It’s been a long few days. On Thursday, we had someone remove insulation covered in mouse droppings from our attic.

He rolled and bagged the insulation and I took the bags outside and loaded them on a trailer. He filled over forty construction bags. Thankfully, we had set up a plastic barrier around the attic entrance and were able to contain the mess a great deal. Thankfully, the guy deals will all matters of pest control and removal, so he didn’t find the job daunting.

After doing a dump run, we decided to tackle a few more projects to prepare as winter is coming. We decided to seal, primer and paint the concrete foundation of our home. We get so much rain and the salt air really takes a toll on things, so upkeep always an issue. Luckily, our small local hardware store had Killz Primer and masonry paint in stock. I was so suprised to see that the masonry paint looks like cake batter. No joke- it’s a thick almost grainy consistency. It went on beautifully, though, and we’re beyond happy.

We also decided to get some https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L7JFSSC?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_p=ec7e49ff-ccce-49e1-b560-6096a83a001b&pf_rd_r=VA119GMR3GZ9MV7V78SY&pd_rd_wg=7uENR&pd_rd_w=ndddA&pd_rd_r=46490698-19d1-4686-b864-d50a266e0e38&th=1&linkCode=li2&tag=uprootedandbl-20&linkId=7004e2c547ee97b15878099848f609f4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank">https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=uprootedandbl-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=B08L7JFSSC" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />” data-type=”URL” data-id=”https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L7JFSSC?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_p=ec7e49ff-ccce-49e1-b560-6096a83a001b&pf_rd_r=VA119GMR3GZ9MV7V78SY&pd_rd_wg=7uENR&pd_rd_w=ndddA&pd_rd_r=46490698-19d1-4686-b864-d50a266e0e38&th=1&linkCode=li2&tag=uprootedandbl-20&linkId=7004e2c547ee97b15878099848f609f4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank">steel wool to keep rodents away. Basically, it plugs up any gaps or holes. With a little putty spatula and heavy-duty leather gloves, we were able to do the entire perimeter where the siding meets the foundation.

This past year has been spent on taking care of deferred maintenance and it’s nice to be able to get caught up a bit and do preventative maintenance.

We have been trying (unsuccessfully) to find someone to install the new wood stove that my husband found at the same estate sale where he got our roofing shingles. We have electric wall heaters in the bedrooms, but our main source of heat is a pellet stove. While a pellet stove is a lot cleaner, the price of pellets had greatly increased. Our power goes out often enough to have to figure out backup plans in the winter, so having something that can be a source of heat and to cook on would be amazing!

I grew up in a rural area and remember how magical it felt to be playing board games with my family by lamplight, a pot of hot chocolate cooking on top of the wood stove. I should ask my parents if those moments were magical for them as adults.

I make a habit of condensing errand trips, so on the way to the dump run I stopped at a farm stand I keep meaning to try. It did not disappoint! I got the most gorgeous and tasty beets I have ever had. I forgot to take a picture, but below are some of the other offerings. I also grabbed some peppers, which will be featured in tonight’s stir fry. I even remembered to seed save!

On a side note, I’ve never been a fan of radishes. When I received a huge amount of them in a CSA share a couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure what to do with them. That is, until I stumbled across a blog where someone suggested roasting or grilling them. Honestly, radishes roasted in the oven alongside parsnips, beets and rutabaga is a game changer. Seriously- try it and let me know what you think!