I have a compost problem. Or rather, I have a lack of compost problem. A pile has been growing in a corner but it doesn’t even keep my dog out, so it’s time to come up with a better solution. Or, at the very least, a temporarily better one.

Three months ago, when I adopted this neglected piece of land, I had no idea what I was in for. It was covered in brambles and trash, but all I could see was the potential.

In July, I adopted a neglected piece of land filled with trash, brambles, and a lot of potential. Three months later, winter is settling in, and I am thinking back on the season behind me, thinking ahead to the necessary preparations for spring.

On the last day of my four month’s off, I had some projects open. It was a day of firsts and seconds. I made cheese for the first time. I made candles for the second time (if you count my first pretty failed attempt). And then, I made a very special pizza.

There is a part of my land I’ve been ignoring completely. Hidden between the hazelnuts, there is a second structure on my land. A shed? A hut? When I got here, this thing was filled with cracked rain barrels, and a whole lot of trash.

I removed and inspected the rain barrels, managed to fix two, and then ignored the hut completely. I’d had a roof to fix after all. Out of sight, out of mind.

It was time to change that.

There is something special about meals made from scratch. Meals made from ingredients collected on our land give me this warm, cozy feeling. With the seasons changing, what we eat is changing, as well. It’s time for some cold-weather meals.

There is an ugly, moldy tarp attached to the garden house. I’d been pretending not to see it for weeks. But now, trash pickup was on the horizon. The sun was shining, and the winds had slowed. A perfect chilly fall day to head to the garden.

I’ve been cleaning up corners of my neglected land for months. But before long, the roof project took over, and I left the rest be. Now, it is time to tackle the trash before the owners of the land come to pick up the piles for me.

With the pantry low on stock, I can’t say no to a basket of pears. A basket of pears showed up on my table, so I took them home to dry. I forgot them under my shelf for a week, so I set out to “quickly” chop them up.

When I adopted this neglected land, I didn’t know how to build a roof. I didn’t know how long it would take. I didn’t even know what most of the parts where called. But slowly, I figured it all out, learned new skills, and built a roof. But let’s start where we left off last time.

The cold, dark days of living in Northern Germany are approaching fast. What sunshine hours we still get are spent in the garden. I haven’t started any of my dark-day projects. The apartment is essentially on hold.