A little girl pig is a gilt until she has babies then she is a sow, a little boy pig starts out as a boar and becomes a barrow after his wee operation.
The Kitchens Garden Farmy officially has six barrows and 2 gilts. The barrows will sell for less than the gilts but are also used as show pigs. Though I will be keeping a few back for the freezer. Their ears are clipped with their registration numbers so when they sell they can be identified. 
We had more showers yesterday morning on my already soggy hay so I forked as much loose hay up into the truck as I could before my energy ran out and it (my energy and the hay) is on the barn floor and draped on the pen walls drying. I just could not bear to watch the rain hitting my precious hay and do nothing. Even four truckloads is a fair amount of feed saved. The rest we will bale loosely today of we get some drying time, store it outside under a tarp (in case of fire) and feed out straight away. Some we will haul up into the hayloft and I will cut the strings and let it spread out and dry up there also feeding out straight away.
The really good news is that after work John took all the information you gave him the other day about balers and scraped and cleaned and sprayed the string tie thingy, we took it out for a trial run and YAY! It worked. We baled 6 soggy unliftable bales and 5 of them knotted. Smiles all round. They were carried onto the concrete pad and I will probably use them as door stops and draft barriers! Hopefully today there will be some drying done and we can get to work. But there is rain coming in tomorrow for the week so today is the only day to clean up this field. It has to come off one way or the other.
The Lady Vet is visiting Queenie again today, with her bull in a straw. So if you have any fingers left to cross, please cross a couple for a successful outcome.
Boo was thrilled to discover that Minty and Meadow had escaped. Then was deeply disappointed when I called them and they followed me back into the field from whence they came with none of his wild herding skills required.
Sheila is on perpetual holiday now that she no longer hangs out with Charlotte. her chosen spot for yesterday was outside the chook house. She is hoping someone will lay her some breakfast!
I was watching the piglets play while the chickens scratched through their run doing some housekeeping and one of the little pigs made a cackling run at Son of Neanderthol Man from behind. The rooster shrieked and leapt into the air.
Of course Charlotte came roaring around the corner at the kerfuffle, 
scattering piglets in all directions, and saw the rooster off.
Good morning. As I was struggling with this wet hay yesterday, with the knowledge that I did not have enough gilts to sell, and the sheep got out, and the peahens eggs under the chickens had not hatched and I was facing the limitations of doing it alone, and how was I going to get these lambs to the abbatoir with John working all the time then a huge piece of wood fell on my wrist and it began to swell and pulse, blood running down onto the fork handle and I was losing two acres of hay to the bloody rain, and I should be weeding and mounding the potatoes – I felt like quitting. I threw down my pitching fork and put my hands to my face, blood running back up my arm and had a washing basket moment but instead of wet washing I sat in wet hay.
But you cannot just up sticks and quit. The food has to be brought in. The animals need a human. The human needs the animals. So. Whoever is in charge of the weather machine could you please turn the knobs to hot winds and open the valves shortly. And while you are at it turn OFF the thunderstorm warnings for the next six days. And withdraw the dense dark humid cloud cover that is above me. That would be nice. Thank you. I need some hay drying weather. The farmy needs sun.
And as I have said before. The wonderful thing about the morning is that we have a chance to do it over. The sun rises and we start anew. Every morning comes with a Good and a Chance. And I have been thinking in the night. A plan is coming to thwart the wet and save the hay. It must come. We have to get it in to dry it.
Have a lovely day.
Your soggy brained friend, celi.
The Kitchen's Garden 
74 responses to “Gilts and Barrows – Goods and Bads”
Celia, although I have suspected for some time that you are super-human, you are in fact a normal person. What you achieve, alone, is sometimes awe inspiring. Me and Hubby are at this game together and the amount of times we have looked at each other when yet another thing goes wrong, and wanted to quit. I bet the good days far out number the bad don’t they ?Keep going hun, you’re doing great !
You are so right, the good days do outnumber the bad, and the sun just came out with a nice drying breeze, so if we can outwit the rain and get a few days like this, it might be alright.. c
Oh the life on the farmy, will always face the nuances of nature… when you want rain, it won’t, when you don’t want it, it will .. such is the life of a farmer…
You will know it, having been through it too.. no lid on our business.. c
I hope you have a better day today. I wish I could see those piglets chasing the chicken 😉
OH lord I know those days well sorry how is your hand?
It is my wrist, I foolishly pushed open a big door at speed, forgetting that it had a brace above me, I heard it come loose and reached up to catch it from hitting my head, it is a very heavy piece of wood, smashed into my arm and hit me in the head anyway, I suspect i have given one of those little bones a good smack. I have wrapped it, nothing else for it really. It hurts but will get better… c
😦 So sorry I know those kinds of days suck and being a trucker for so long I have had so many days like this thankfully not day after day Get better soon Walmart sells a wrap around ice pack ice 20 min of 20 min to get it better HUGS
Oh celi, I’m so sorry things are so tough for you right now. Sending you a big hug but you keep that washing basket on your head if it helps, you’re allowed to feel like that sometimes. I hope your hand isn’t too badly injured, I so wish I was round the corner with Big Man and some Andalucian sunshine to help you….
Here’s hoping today is a better (and drier) day.
Celi, darling girl, which wrist, left or right? How is it today? I knew this was a washing basket moment the instant you began listing the worries. Now what will happen if you lose the hay?
Hang in there Miss C. This too shall pass. Some days you just have to take it one step at a time. Sending you good thoughts and dry weather.
~ Carol
Reblogged this on bridgesburning and commented:
Washing basket moments come at the worst times of course. Our friend Celi is not the only one in suffering at weather’s tantrums from Alberta to the north, and south and other side of the world but she is one that we know and love.
Celi, reblogged this. I know you don’t have time to link ‘washing basket moment’ to the connecting post but am wondering if you know the date and I can load it to my reblog. No point in saying have a good day and while hang in there sounds too casual it really is apropo!
Nothing much makes me sadder than rain on hay, even if it’s not MY hay. Here in California the grass and oat hay is cut in early May and you can reliably predict that it will rain (even though it seldom rains here) as soon as the hay is down. Grrr. I understand, too, about having to do everything yourself and the chores becoming overwhelming sometimes. Plus, we’ve passed the summer solstice and the days are getting shorter already! Okay, that’s my sympathetic rant for the day. Now I have to go feed.
Oh Sweetheart I feel for you so much! Keep that pecker up girl. You know the good days are just around the corner, and soon you will look back and laugh at all this. It is tough when there is so much to do and only one pair of hands to do it with (and one of them hurting tut tut!). Like everyone here, I wish I could just get in my truck and come help. Sending my spirit instead and hope it lightens things for you. Hugs
Oh, Celi, what a stinker of a day you had. Just rotten. And most of all so damn overwhelming. I sure hope you do take care of your wrist. I am keeping my fingers crossed the weather holds. Here in Chicago it is sunny, but I know there fictions aren’t good. We armchair farmers are getting an eyeful and earful of what life is really like. So romantic!
Life is so hard at times. Hope you have sunnier days ahead.
Oh C! These are not good news, but I guess this is what happens when you choose certain way of life. The beauty of all is that you are living and doing according to what you believe, and no matter how uphill things are, you can be proud knowing that you are being faithfull to yourself. Next time the piglet will be all gilts and soon the weather will change.
Have a lovely day!
G