I'm taking advantage of having my uncle here for a few days, and having him help me with some things that are easier with two people. We're building a flowerbed at the front of the house -- might not sound like prep, but it will also be our herb garden, at least for the perennial herbs. And, hyacinths for the soul, you know (or in this case, scented climbing roses -- and I'm SORELY tempted to go buy a rose I saw, and smelled, at Fred Meyer the other day. It's called Firefighter, is about fire engine red, and has the strongest lemony rose scent I've ever smelled! I love it! But it's a hybrid tea, and it's twenty dollars, so I probably won't.).
We are also working on fencing the new garden area -- I'm moving the garden to an area which actually has some topsoil and isn't all clay.
And we're working on the new goat shelter, to replace the one that got wind-tossed a couple of months ago and ruined. This one is heavier-duty, and will be spiked to RR ties. Also I oriented it differently, so hopefully the wind won't be able to catch it like it did the other one.
I've been agonizing over my growing herd of goats, trying to decide which ones to keep and which to sell or put in the freezer. I really like my Kinder goats, and if it wasn't for one thing, I wouldn't even be considering getting rid of them. But they aren't big enough for packing (packgoats are my back-up bug-out vehicle). My Oberhasli buck is going to be a good packer, and I have the Ober/Boer doe I bred him to, and a doe and a couple of wethers-to-be out of them. The doe is an excellent milker, in spite of being half Boer, and the kids show a lot of promise as packers and, in the case of the little doe kid, as a milker. Since I'm really only supposed to have four goats here, I guess I'm going to have to settle on the Ober buck and his family. So if anyone is near Klamath Falls, and would like to have some nice Kinder goats with wonderful milk, I have, or will have, two separate breeding groups for sale. (I'll post a notice on the swaps board, too.) Pictures will be available when I figure out how to get them from my new camera to the computer!
I'm hoping to start planting the garden this week, but have to finish the fencing first, or the deer will be in there helping themselves. We had six of them in the back yard a few days ago, including two bucks.
We've been cleaning out our storage shed, having to throw a lot of stuff away because of water damage (mostly what is in there is empty canning jars, and some odds and ends from when we moved here). The roof was damaged two or three months ago when something -- probably ice from the sky -- fell on it, so it leaks now, even though it is only a couple of years old. Found a couple of treasures, though -- an old compass in a wooden box that belonged to my great-grandfather (my uncle is going to take that home), and I salvaged some thermoses and a small wire rack that will just fit on top of my 'hobo' stove.
Kathleen
Almost forgot -- I have a goose setting -- she started out on twelve eggs, and only has five left. I will be surprised if any of them hatch -- the geese won't be a year old until next month, and their fertility the first year is poor. Also, I got fifteen more chicks, Barred Rocks. I don't plan to keep all of them, will either sell some or give some to a couple of people who I would like to see get started with a small poultry flock. I have six ducks who are all really good layers, and give more than enough eggs for me and my daughter. I only need to keep chickens so Grandma has a few chicken eggs, as she doesn't like the duck eggs fried (she'll use them in things, though). Don't need more than two or three hens for her, really. But the Ameraucanas are poor layers and hardly laid at all through the winter, so I want to replace them.
Some of the cans of food are starting to rust, so they're being brought up to get used soon. I'm really good at rotating, but there were some things that I hated to use, for fear that I wouldn't be able to get more. I bought things at really good prices that I normally wouldn't pay full price for.
I dont think I could actually can anything in the big guys, but with a new lid, you could sure store a lot of dry food in them. Like Jerky. 
Also got: a cool patriotic 4th of july full body apron, a sheet for the fabric in it, a black and white striped canvas tablecloth for the deck table-Fits perfect, a hawwaiin shirt for me, a small covered trashbin for the garage, several books(one of which was called "Mountain Docter" by LeGette Blythe(looked like it might real good for old timey things) and one called "herbs and things" by jeanne roses herbal) the others were just for gifts or general novel type to read), two nice rosaries and a really nice cat pin for one of my sisters. They GAVE me the shopping basket because I had to walk across all the construction on the RR tracks to get there and then get back to my car with all that stuff. PLUS I filled my stamp card there so I get 15$ free merchandise the NEXT time I go in. 
We're doing some planting and the hops are growing like topsy. Cleaning out a storage unit, too. So much to do and so little help. Oh, well I'll soldier on.
