And so it begins...

Once again, our first flurries appear in October!

Mini Bacon

We weighed the pigs tonight with much squealing and kicking.  The results are as follows:

Penelope - 41 pounds

Willow - 45 pounds

This will be the first and last weigh in!!!

Big Pigs

The pigs are continuing to grow.  They are now free to roam of a large outdoor space in the woods and are enjoying rooting through the ferns and leaves.  I brought home a scale so we can weigh them.  Any guesses?

 

 

 

 

The hens are laying 4-6 eggs a day now.  We're so proud!  Silver has taken up charging us when we enter the pen with his neck feathers all fluffed.  I've had a talon or two fly my way as well.  Aggressive little booger. 

Only one more month my friend, so enjoy it while you can!

Saturday Morning on the Farm

Ahhh, another beautiful morning on the farm...

 

 The girls are enjoying a sunny morning outside.  This morning they followed Teresa from the barn right into the pen, no squealing or fuss.  It probably helped that she had their breakfast in hand to lure them.  Lets hope the trip back in tonight is as uneventful!

Harvey learns a lesson

Poor little Harvey got into a bees nest.  We heard a loud crash from the woods (not sure if it was Harvey jumping from the tree or a branch/nest crashing down), but he came running full speed ahead out of the woods.  He ran all the way across the field, onto the porch and still arrived with one bee on his back.  He seemed so very upset (but I guess I'd be upset too if I'd been stung).  Good lesson to learn.  Leave the bees alone!

What came first, the chicken or the omelet?

Recently we enjoyed delicious breakfast omelets from our first farm-fresh eggs.  There's something very satisfying about finding an egg in the nest box.  Teresa seems to have the luck of finding all of the eggs, but Eric managed to capture one of the hens laying an egg!

 

 We pressed another 1 1/2 gallons of cider and are greatly enjoying it.  The pigs continue to grow.  They spent their first day outside yesterday digging up the woods.  They were squealing with delight all afternoon long.  Piper enjoyed sitting by the fence.  Every now and then the piglets would wander over, touch noses with her, her tail would wag ferociously, and then they'd go right back to digging. 

These special trees oink!

Most husbands surprise their wives with lavish trips or sparkling diamonds, however, mine is a little unique.  We headed out Saturday morning for maple trees from a nursery in Royalton, VT.  The trees here are in full color and the drive was beautiful.  As we arrived onto the dirt road, Eric tells me the trees we're getting are unique..."they oink".  To my surprise we pull into a small farm where piglets await!  My dream has come true and I am now the proud owner of two baby piglets, Willow and Penelope.  The girls had a noisy and smelly, hour long ride home in the Subaru.  Go Subaru, go!

 

 

 

The girls are settling in well and enjoying their food, but what can I say....they're PIGS!

Vermont 50



Sunday was the VT 50, one of two ultra marathons (the VT 100 being the other) that we have within a ten minute drive of our house.  I can not imagine that there are too many folks that can say that for themselves and almost felt obligated to participate.  Combine absolutely perfect weather, stunning scenery, and a network of excellent trails and you have a recipe for a great day to run 50K.  I also had the benefit of running with my coworker Bethany, an experienced and accomplished ultra runner.  Without her company, it definitely would have been a much tougher day.  We certainly did not light the course on fire but it was very enjoyable, nonetheless.  It was also quite delightful to see Teresa at the last aid station located at mile 29 where she was a volunteer.