Visitors

We looked out the window this AM and 7 huge turkeys were making a run for it across the yard.  They crossed the road and went to the neighbors where they snacked on her bird seed.  Nothing like having some early Sunday morning visitors!!

Current State of Affairs

An update on the farm is long overdue.  Somewhat sadly, the pigs left a week ago today.  Raising Penelope and Willow was a bittersweet experience.  We enjoyed having them living in our backyard forest.  It was nice to see them exploring and rooting about and they always met us with a grunt and a smile.  Ever since we brought them home, however, there was a bit of anxiety in the back of my mind knowing that one day they would be heading to market.  Over time, I was able to reconcile this reality in my mind and I became more comfortable with the idea that every bag of grain and bucket of water that we carried through the snow would be converted into bacon, ham, and sausage.  I am pleased to say that last Saturday went, in my mind, very well.  I have read about an organic farmer that said that their animals "only have one bad day."  I like to think that our pigs' last day wasn't even all that bad for them.  Their end was swift and painless and we are thankful for that.  We are also thankful that, like Silver the rooster, our piggies will nourish our bodies and in that way we can respect and honor them.

It is rather easy to get caught up in loss but we still have lots to gain and grow in the coming months.

By the look of the snow in the run, it seems like chickens have a bit of time before they are out on pasture.  Nonetheless, they continue to lay well at a somewhat slower than normal pace.  Our girls will welcome some new friends in a few weeks with hopes of adding some color to our eggs.  A little bit after that, we will try our hands at turkeys for the first time.

Even though we are a ways from seeing the bare ground, we have optimistically "started" our garden for this year.  Onions and cherry tomatoes are starting to grow already.  

There are also some new additions to our plant friends.  The lime (above) and lemon trees are starting to bud.  We are trying to grow some Goji berry bushes in our guest bathroom and next week we learn how to graft apple trees.

A VERY busy spring and summer await.

The first day of spring.

The first day of spring is here and I would be so very happy if it didn't look like this outside!!!

Like a tongue stuck to a frozen pole....

Never before did I realize that the classical tongue stuck to a frozen pole humor is REAL!  I was innocently scooping out sherbet tonight and went to lick the spoon clean...zip...my bottom lip stuck to the spoon.  I gave a yank, but quickly realized my lip was really stuck and in a panic I ran to the sink and ran my mouth under the water to free myself.  I ended up with a laughing husband and a bleeding lip, but otherwise survived.  Needless to say, I let the sherbet warm up before attempting to eat it:)

Snowblowing and Pig Wrangling

The latest and greatest winter storm didn't result in quite what was predicted but still created a bit of a mess to clean...especially after Teresa got her car stuck in the driveway.  As a result of the foot or so of snow and ice, I have been spending my evenings shoveling and snowblowing.  I was almost finished with the back drive last night when I had to do a double take.  I had Izzy to my right and I saw Piper running down the path to the house on my left with a pig following.  A pig?  Yes, a pig.  Luckily, Piper turned and stopped the pig from reaching the house as I stumbled to get the snowblower shut off.  As I made my way toward the corner of the barn, I was met by Penelope who was running somewhat frantically straight in my direction.  Without much thought, I attempted to stop the rather large hog in her tracks.  Imagine my surprise when she tucked her head and put me onto her back where I stayed for a few paces before falling off into the snow.  I was quickly on my feet again and was able to turn her back towards the barn.  The next ten minutes were spent yelling for Teresa (oblivious inside watching a video) and trying to keep Penelope from going up the road.  Luckily, the pig ran into the barn and I was able to close her into one of the stalls.  Taking the opportunity to regroup, I enlisted Teresa as backup and we ultimately herded the now exhausted pig back into her pen to be reunited with Willow.  In all, a great way to spend an evening.