This is exactly how we are walking now. Slipping on the ice hidden under the slopping water and slapping and splashing about. Nice though. Huge puddles everywhere. Everything is sloppy wet – because it is warm. By afternoon most of the ice was slush and our work pants were wet to the knees. Gracie fit into one of my pairs of overalls, jammed her feet into gumboots and immediately went to work. We worked without gloves. Oh the joy of it!
Much to Poppy’s delight she is showing signs of coming into heat. So this morning semen is being collected from a very virile looking Hereford boar (I do not know how they collect the semenfrom a boar and frankly do not care to know) an hours drive from here and today John will drive over to collect two straws of handsome pig semen. A task he never saw himself doing when he was growing up listening to Bob Dylan and dreaming of the big city.
So this afternoon my friend, who knows about pigs, will come over and if Poppy is in Standing Heat we will breed her both tonight and tomorrow morning. Standing Heat means you can put both hands on her back from behind and push as hard as you can and she will not budge. And she will stand to be bred. Poppy standing still for anything will be something to see!
Sad news. I opened the bee hives yesterday afternoon and there were only a few bees there and they are long dead. Dried up dead. I remember last summer they were slow to thrive. Such a disappointment. Ah well. I have given bee-keeping a really good crack. Time to close this one down though. I will no longer be keeping bees. Such a shame. But sometimes trying again and again and again and failing means it is not to be. Time to move on. 
One thing I am getting right (touch wood) is raising these calves. They are looking great.
I hope you have a lovely day. Fingers crossed that Poppy does not go past her fertile moment before we get her bred. Do you remember her when she was this big?
Love your friend on the farm,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
72 responses to “Slip, Slop, Slap, Splash”
I’m sure you’ll do a stand up job with Poppy. Sorry about the bees 🙂
No pun intended, of course! (laugh) .. Morning Mad.. c
I’m sure Poppy will stand by her man 😉
Ha ha ha You are a stand up comedian!! ha ha ha .. i will be the Stand in!..
🙂
Time to pack away the snow boots and get out the mud boots! I keep running into wet puddles. Ugh.
I am sorry to hear about the bees, but I agree. You gave it your best effort. Hoping the the standing with Poppy proves fruitful for you tonight or tomorrow. Be careful on the slippery ground.
Oh my goodness, there is nothing quite like a baby pig! I’m glad you explained standing heat. As soon as I read it, I wondered “what is that??” And voilà, there was the answer. I’m sorry about the bees, but once again, I love your philosophy about moving on. You did try.
Keeping fingers crossed for Poppy. 🙂 Good morning, c!
That is too bad about the bees. Thanks for posting that adorable picture of little poppy and boo. Hope you have a great day and good luck with poppy!
Sorry to hear about the bees, but we have been there and done that as well. Each January we toy with getting it going again, and it just never happens!
All the best with Poppy! I hope she is standing well for you :*)
Good news and bad news, the stuff of which farm life is made. Fingers crossed that Poppy’s heat will be just long enough to breed her and not so long that she drives you nuts with all the hormonal yelling and banging…
Sad about the bees. I wonder if you’ve ever thought of putting the hive high up inside the barn with a small access hole to the outside? It would catch the rising warmth of the animals in the winter, which might be just enough to allow the bees to make it through the winter…
I think your decision with the bees is probably the only practical thing to do – probably your climate is just too extreme for them. I have my fingers crossed for Poppy.
Love,
ViV
So much snow has melted, we still have a lot. Good luck with Poppy, I sure hope it goes well. So sad about the bees.
you are doing a splendid job Miss C…praise from someone who knows nought about farming but you must be doing it right cos everything turns out super (eggs were exception, but not your fault)…baby piggies..hpw thrilling…
Hello to Miss Grace..how are you m’dear. It is lovely that you come to help Miss C on her Farmy…I envy you!
have a good day all
Hooray for the thaw – at last! 🙂 Suddenly the Bobby’s are towering over Aunty Dell. I’m sure your beautiful gardens in summer will attract the bees from elsewhere. Laura
Yes, you are right Laura, a lovely positive thought, we have huge flower gardens and wild flowers along the ditches so we do have quite a few wild bees here too.. in fact there were a hive of wild bees camping in the attic of the old farm house a few years back.. much love c
To keep bees, one has to have the environment set up for them – lots of flowers growing and food for them during the warm months. But there are many kinds of bees and honey bees are not native to this country – they are European. Instead perhaps it would be a good idea to support native populations by providing them an insect hotel. http://www.inspirationgreen.com/index.php?q=insect-habitats.html Insect Hotels Provide a home to pollinators and pest controllers. Tidy gardens, lawns and lack of dead wood, mean less and less habitat for wild bees, spiders and ladybugs. This way we can survive even if our honey bee population wanes. For one thing, if they aren’t kept fed all during the winter, they have a rough time. That means knowing what to feed them when they run out of honey. Several Permaculturists suggest putting bees in a kind of protected shed which shields them during the coldest time of year, where they can come and go freely all year, but are sheltered. You can put several hives in such a shed here and there throughout the property so they have enough space. Also, growing bee specifically friendly plants like Bee Balm and Butterfly Weed (there are many) give them sufficient foraging areas. If there are farmers that spray insecticide in your area, you have to find a way to keep them from roaming there by making it so bee friendly they don’t need to wander. Either local bees (for pollination) or honey bees will benefit from this, which is why an Insect Hotel is such a good idea (and can be quite beautiful as you will see in those sites listed above).
thegardenladyofga.wordpress.com Di
Yes, we had a bit of sunshine, here in Scotland yesterday. That feeling of sun on your back – and front – well, anywhere really – fab!
What a shame about your bees. All the best for Poppy’s prospective pregnancy. The calves look most handsome. Here’s to springtime.
I will raise my glass with you to that! The sun is shining again today – what a joy! c
So sorry about your bees. And I love the line about Dylan and the big city!
On a different note, if you still want a t-shirt, Miss C, do let me know. No pressure, of course. Orders going to printer on Wed. Email or just PayPal w/ instructions: imfiftyfiveo@gmail.com
I DO!! I DO! I will email immediately.. and one day darling girl if you would like a working holiday – you must come and stay and build a wee wall for fun, I know where some rocks are now.. in a field not far from here, I will email.. c
I would LOVE to do that! Next time I visited my pals in Wyoming I’m going to drive JUST so I can stop at your place!
that is a stunning idea .. lets keep in touch on that! c