Our wee fella, the tiniest of the little orphans, bless his little heart, rose up yesterday afternoon and very, very slowly – took himself for a tiny walk. He is trying to suck on the bottle now. I am calling this an improvement. He might make it yet.
We have gone FIVE whole days without a piggie break out. A success! I completely changed the electric fence set up, putting the lower wire very, very low, so they cannot go under it. And it is working. Finally I can strip graze the pigs across the field with a little confidence.
I am trying here to show you how much grass the field chickens eat. They cut a swathe through the pasture. If I do not shift them four times a day they will eat the pasture down to the ground which would be bad. I love the grass in my fields. Sometimes I hate to share it. But that is fine, because with the light grazing and the chicken manure they leave behind (very generously scratching it in), then add the frequent small rains we have been having, the fertiliser from the chicks has resulted in this.
Fantastic growth. The clover is shooting up in a long strip in the wake of the ark and the bees are working again.
This has been a stunning experiment.
Sheila was fooling around too close to the chook house yesterday and busted a hole in the side. On purpose? Well, we have to ask ourselves. I will repair it as best I can but like the drains in the kitchen and laundry -( the washing machine has been pumping grey water into the garden all summer through a hose out the window and I have been washing the dishes in a bucket and emptying the bucket in the garden 0 the gardens are loving this) because the under ground drains have collapsed and are blocked – and the gates which are not hung, and the doors in the barn that are broken, and the gutters that are down (I could go on and on), and the plastic house that is waiting and the other work that I do not have time or cleverness for – it will have to wait until Our John has a day off. It will have to get in line! And winter is coming. I know that sentence made very little sense but I am sure you get the jist. 
Naughty Sheila. Tired Celi.
Good morning – here is something really exciting. My black walnut tree has grown some walnuts. It is only 6 years old. I am very impressed. The black walnut is a native around here, (I have only just discovered.) So I am going to grow some of these trees for the Fellowship of the Farmy Forest! It makes perfect sense. Shade for the cows and feed for the pigs. Got your name written all over it.
Wonderful.
Have a lovely day.
your friend, celi
ps early this morning after the 4am feed (kittens) I added a few more star images to the Star Challenge. Stars move!! Or is it us?
This top image with a little light catching the gable of the house, I am going to work on that one. I need a little more light on the structure, just a whisper, I might extend that idea into the image I am looking for. The next image of the The Orion? is not sharp. I need to work with these moving stars.
I merrily attach my camera to my new tripod to keep everything still but the stars are moving, I am moving, everything is moving. We think we are just sitting in our little lives but we are in perpetual motion hurtling around in space unsecurely strapped into our little lives. Buckle up.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
74 responses to “Tentative First Steps”
So much going on this post. A mix of emotions as I read.
Like life.. so much going on. c
Beautiful little baby!!!
I think he might be ok, later this morning now and he is bawling for more food with the rest of them, a good sign. c
Wonderful!!!!
You go, tiny kitten! I am off to see the swimming pigs of the Bahamas this morning, miss c. I will tell them Sheila says hello from the heartland.
Swimming pigs! Now that would be a sight! c
be careful where you plant black walnut trees
sometimes the roots put out chemicals toxic to other plants
we used to have a pig that could jump over electric fences
like you need something else to worry about
So do Elms and this area is heaving with them. They will be on the boundaries, so it will be fine.. c
Walnuts are sooo good to eat – in sweet or savoury. You are lucky.. Not so for all the undone jobs – you could do with borrowing Jock for a bit!
I’m glad the littlest puss is making progress.
Vx
I certainly could do with Jock, I am running out of time now, winter will start showing its face in the not too distant future.. c
Black Walnuts are the BEST! I have memories of my father cracking those and eating them fresh throughout the winter…yum…walnut cake good, too. Got the ‘jest’ of your sentence…(long sigh)..that is a lot of work and you must be tired, but a good tired:-)
Holding a good thought for the wee one… sounds like a tiny baby with a big heart (like yours I think)…
Do the kittens have names yet? Little wee kitten looks so tiny against Boo’s foot… I do hope that he will make it all the way.
A truer word was never spoken ‘winter is coming’ although the past few days here in Bulgaria have been very warm…lulling us into false promises
Love and kindess! Makes everyone feel better! Don’t you love to experience miracles! 🙂
There was an article on the news the other day about a company that has started hiring out ‘Wives’! These women do all the jobs working wives do not have time for, like organizing the closet, doing errands etc. Sounds like we should start another company and hire out ‘Husbands’ LOL. I know I have a load of little (and some not so little) that I could do with a man around for some days!
Its called hire a hubby………I think Celi just lives in the wrong country!
Your night photos are just outstanding! We were just in Norfolk, Nebraska…sort of close to you. But no home. Terry and I were stunned at the difference of the land there compared to ours (and the land getting to there). Once we got to Norfolk we could tell there wasn’t any need to irrigate…no sprinklers anywhere…but tall lush corn and tall as my knee soy beans. Terry said “WE ARE MOVING HERE!”
That won’t happen, but we so loved the rich land, the lush crops and the lack of struggle to keep the plants watered. Terry also loved all the tractor salvage yards and the second hand dealers. He said he would buy from them if it wasn’t so hard to get the equipment back to use 820 miles away.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
You work so hard to irrigate your land, these guys around here put the seed in the ground, and it grows. Beautiful soil here. c
So happy the littlest one is making such progress. I love Boo’s elegant toes! Didn’t know black walnut trees are native to Illinois. I feel for you–having to see so much that needs doing — and not YOUR work. Frustrating beyond measure!
I’m in an embarrassing spot today. Due to circumstances beyond my control, a woman I know only slightly is coming here with her husband on our way to a mutual friend’s Memorial. Theyll only be here a minute or two but…No one ever darkens our door and for good reason. I never invite anyone over because the place is a mess. There isn’t a single surface that isn’t covered with books, papers, magazines, bills, notebooks, S.T.U.F.F. I could scream. We need a professional organizer to come in and put every single doodad on e-bay.
Oh honey, i do know that feeling, an insurance man came here the other day and was wondering how we got into the loft, the staircase is really a attic ladder that I had fitted into a wardrobe in the snug. I was explaining and john said why don’t you just show him. I looked at john with horror.. It is such a mess in there! The insurance man saw my aghast look and said no, no don’t worry.. what a relief. I think we all need Rent a Wife! c
Great idea Lyn, in fact I was driving down the freeway one day and passed a truck with “Hire a Husband” on the side! 🙂 I had to laugh! And hurray for little, Tiny Tim! I think with your TLC, Cinders and his or her strong will and spirit that he or she, will just grow bigger and stronger…after all T.T. has two guardian angels!
Don’t work too hard C. it will all get done, maybe some chores will have to be put off until John is off for the winter. If you have bees thriving on beautiful, green clover, then that is something to take your mind off the rest! Well, a little anyway!
Sheila looks gorgeous!
Oh, Celi, a wonderful post! I am having hope for the littlest one, thanks to your good care. I can really sympathize with your long long list of things that urgently need doing, yet here I am in Coeur d’Alene Idaho having a wonderful visit with my beloved sister and her husband. Sublime! Your chicken tractor is a great success! Lovely grass. And yes, here we are hurtling through space. Vulnerable. Its humbling isn’t it? A miracle. Remember to fit in some self-care in between all you do for others.
It’s good to hear the tiny kitten appears to be improving. I know the feeling you described all too well, many jobs needing to be done, and the fellas are spent by the time they get home. Seat belt buckled! Have a blessed day, Celi.