Much of life is half in and half out. Don’t you think? We juggle all the balls that comprise our lives. Trotting to and fro colouring in each step, turning the page. Half finishing some stuff then starting other stuff too early. Half of ourselves completely involved the other half with an eye out for the next ball to juggle. I think that is OK though.
Just in case you did not fully get my visual example. Here is Manu again. Half in and half out. He has the eyes of a shark this boy. But the body of a wriggly chubby happy toddler. This was the door that the goats slept behind looking out the window.
Speaking of the goats here is an email I received this morning from the Lady on the Ridge. She worked late that night.
brenda and freya
“.. came home at 11:30 last night to find both of them lounging on my porch. It looked so funny that I could not get mad. “
And this was after an entire mornings slog before going to work fixing all the holes they had found for her in their fence. Sigh.
And here is yet another surprising example of a good Hereford Pig Mama. She lets her babies eat her food. She will even let them pull food out of her mouth as she eats. And because she is a good kind Mama she allows her babies to interact with people even strangers. So my little gilts will grow up calm and generous too. And Poppy used to be such a crazy thing.
Yesterday she allowed Amanda’s Mum (accompanied by me with an escape route planned for her) to climb into the pen with the piglets and actually record the tiny pig grunts a sow makes when she is feeding. Amanda’s Mum is a professor at a university in Texas and is going to play that recording for her students. She was delighted by the piglets and Poppy was a star though I did bribe her with corn stalks.
The mosquito eaters were purchased yesterday along with my cough medicine. They cost 28 cents each and I have no idea what kind of goldfish they are but they grow to about 6 inches long. Once they were home – (they sprang a leak in their little bag on the way home so it was a nerve wracking ride!) I gradually added rain barrel water to their store bought water until they were fully acclimated then released one batch into the rain barrel by the porch. It rained in the night too. So we shall see. If all is well the rest will be distributed into the water barrels and the frog garden pond around and about. I can do nothing about the lakes in the fields or the overflowing ditches but hopefully every little bit helps. How far does a mosquito fly anyway? I need to find that out.
Poppy’s dinner. Ours was pretty good too. Amanda makes a wonderful Kitchen Mama.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Love your friend on the farm,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
69 responses to “Half in and Half out”
I have heard mosquitos are born and die within about 10 square metres and generally stay within that range.
There are traps you might try that use active yeast, creating carbon dioxide which they are attracted to. I think you can make the traps out of old plastic bottles if you have them. Worth a Google. I was going to make them this year but up in Ontario the mosquitos are not bad this year (knock on wood).
Hmm.. I will ask Mr Google! Thank you.. c
Here you go, compliments of my sister Karen: cut a 2 liter bottle in half, dissolve 1 cup brown sugar in 1 cup hot water, let cool, add 1 gram (1/3 tspn) yeast. Put liquid in bottom half of bottle, put top half of bottle in bottom half upside down and place away from your sitting/gathering area.
AHA! Thank you karen! I will make it .. and let you know..
Beautiful pics as always Celi! ❤
I was eyeing off Poppy's dinner thinking "yummo" but then saw the eggs and realised it wasnt the usual salad 🙂
Oh, and if the water is moving it should flush out and so shouldn’t attract mosquito larvae 🙂
Do you have covers on your rain barrels? I stretch the screen stuff that is used for windows and doors, and secure it with a bunji cord. This way the mossies have difficulty getting to the water. I have also noticed that if the water comes above the screen they lay eggs that once the water drops and the lava turn to mossies, they cant get out!
How is your cough? Maybe it is the mold around with all that water/humidity you are experiencing?
Be well my friend.
yes we have covers on most of them – and it rains all the time so the water is actually clear and fresh – it is the frog garden pond that is the worst though..
so you got your cough medicine..has it done any good….and the fishes..( how far does a mozzie fly? Not quite sure of that but tell them not to fly this way…..
Motherhood changes many people but it is good to know that Poppy is such a good mumma…..get better Miss C lots of love.
How is the weather..has it stopped raining or do I go on praying?
Go on praying. It was raining last night – I need some drying weather now – so we can get hay in for the winter!
Love that ‘yard-of-cat’ picture. 🙂 Looks like you are going to have a hot and steamy weekend, we of course are freezing brrrr. Laura
Mosquitos fly at about 1.5 miles per hour and can range up to 3 miles. Males are vegetarian only the females live on blood. Laura
That is so funny! Nasty girl mossies!
Yes I have turned the fans on in the barn, the animals are going to heat up!c
You sound more optimistic today, so I’m hoping the cough mixture is doing some good and you’re able to sleep and your head has stopped feeling like it will burst. I’m so happy that Poppy is good with her babies – it’s makes it so hopeful that she’ll be the start of a whole line of wonderful Hereford mamas who give birth to beautiful sturdy babies.
Yes, we were talking the other night about how home small farmers breed for calm good mothers and commercial confinement farmers breed for size and speedy growth.. but – we did not expect this from poppy at all – did we?! It is a wonderful thing to see. c
Your friendly heron would make short work of any goldfish in the fields/ponds! Hope your cough is better. I had a nasty one when the evergreen pollen was in the air in these parts. Take good care, Miss C. Those piggies are so lovely – shiny and chubby. 😊
Luckily the heron will not be at the water barrels under the bedroom window though.. Or if he does balance there and fish they will be great shots!!
If there are minnows in the ditch or lakes they will eat the skeeters(as we call them down here) I have goldfish and minnows in my ponds.
You will need to feed the goldfish a tiny bit as their will not be enough bugs for them to live on
Sandy
Thank you Sandy, I have food for them – should I feed them once a day? c
Sorry I did not get back to you. Mom fell and cracked some ribs and I have been busy caring for her.
I would feed them just a couple of times a week, if you feed them way to much they breed like rabbits.
I laughed out loud when I read about the bag springing a leak on the way home. Not that it was funny but that would have been something that happened to me! Looks like things are humming right along on the farmy and of course you heart loves the last kitty picture. Thanks for that!
Everywhere I look there is a cat sleeping! c
My kind of place. 🙂 Careful the farmy may get called a cathouse. 🙂
That half door/half window has certainly seen a lot of action this summer. Does he back up or climb out of the window? I am so pleased about Poppy. It’s hormones that makes her bash gates and hormones that allows her to be such a patient mother. Pulling food out of her mouth without consequence? Bravo Poppy! Where does Amanda’s mum teach here in Texas? What does she teach? How fun for her students in the fall. Have a golden day, fish and all.
Yes he backs out very carefully unlike Poppy who jammed her whole body through that little opening! c
Poppy is a changed piggie with motherhood! And I thought her dinner looked delicious 🙂
She thought so too!
I’m glad you’ve had a slight break in the weather. And that you are taking care of yourself. Wonderful photos and those little piggies look so healthy. Good luck with the mosquitoes.
And it poured again last night.. At least the mosquitoes puddles get their water changed every other day!
What healthy happy piglets they look. So glad poppy has turned out to be a good mama. Hope your feeling better today x
I know that tomorrow will be a much better day health wise – these things have to run their course.. but I see the end approaching.. c
Just really exceptional images today.
That’s all the love and trust you put into Poppy coming out now 😉
PLus I was fastidious about quiet and blocking views and the creep, I think I learned a lot from Charlotte – it was better to over compensate in a way and yes, she is a friendly pig – that helps.. c
Between the two of you, you’ve done a great job 🙂