New Friends
Now that the small and infirm rescue piglets have moved on, the two big healthy piglets the last of Tahiti’s litter have been blended rather reluctantly with Molly’s Mob. 
They will soon get used to being one of a big group. They will certainly learn their manners over there. This has also eased the work load on the farm, one less pen to manage and pigs love company – except Sheila of course. But she is a different kind of pig. Remind me to take camera house when I visit with her today. She is having a wonderful summer.
The hay is drying very nicely in this cooler, less humid weather and my Hay Man is going to sell me another 100 bales for a very good price. I really don’t think I will be getting a fourth cut this year. Do you remember when we did a late cut one year and it got SNOWED ON!
Naomi has been collected by her new owners. Loading a heifer by herself is always a delicate operation, a lone cow is not easy, but as usual I set it up very carefully and she slowly took herself down the barn corridor and into the strange trailer following her little blue bucket of feed, and went off to her new home. Her sale will pay for my winter holiday to Europe which settles me. I am a bit of a gypsy and feel strangely settled when I know I have the means to leave. And I travel alone (which I prefer) so it is never an expensive exercise. Though I always take you with me ! We will be visiting farms too.
I have a feeling Aunty Del is coming into heat but I am just not seeing the signs and the dates are wrong. But she is getting more attention from Carlos than usual.
We picked more tomatoes yesterday – we will make tomato jam and more ketchup. The plants are closing down but there is still plenty to work with. The butternuts and watermelons and acorn squash are very close to being picked.
One of my resident chefs made divine pizzas for pizza night and as it was cool we all moved out under the trees to eat. We sat in our gumboots and work clothes with washed hands and faces and talked quietly while eating pizza with toppings from the garden and sausage brought from the last farm they visited. The candles flickered in the cool breeze and there were no bugs at all. Eating outside with good company and a glass of wine, watching the cows quietly graze and listening to the piglets gently honk themselves to bed like sleepy baby geese is my favourite thing.
Good morning. It is the weekend again so my workers have time off though these two will still cook I think (I hope). And hopefully after the regular chores I can get time to do some gardening, there is still food out there under those weeds. While we were struggling with the little piglets the rain and the heat resulted in an explosion of weeds but if we move fast they are all easy pulling.
John is home from work today so I am going to get him to start putting gardens to bed. He will till then sow oats for a green cover crop. We will plant one late autumn garden that will be covered in cloches and hopefully grow into the early winter – if the winter is kind.
But we cannot even think of winter yet as we have only a little firewood. Splitting and stacking is my department, but so far I have nothing to work with so I hope John gets on to cutting up logs for us to bring in or we will have a chilly winter. Our house heater stopped working at the end of last winter but I am not worried, something will work out. I have enough to manage without this as well. It is important to pick my problems and let someone else worry about other ones.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
c
23 Comments on “New Friends”
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Do you just have wood heaters and fireplaces? We have fuel heating as well with 3 giant tanks in the boiler room. We have neighbours who just have wood heating and boy! Do they go through a lot of wood.
Have a great weekend! Your pizza night sounded very nice.
I have a feeling you’d sleep in the barn with all the animals if it got too cold 😉
Your tomatoes are doing brilliantly well, it seems to me. I love the sound of your quiet evening meal, eaten outside to the accompaniment of quiet animal noises.
Your pizza night sounds nice. 🍕😀
Ahhh, dearest Celi, it does my soul good to hear you talking like that in tones of peace, peace you richly deserve after all those sleepless nights and worry over piglets. Just sigh into it. Much love, Your Gayle
i’m glad that you are moving back into a kind and gentle rhythm of life again and peace is returning –
Aah, lovely gentle slide into Friday night and the weekend … despite the fact you will be just as busy and productive over the weekend. Laura
It so wonderful to see all the tomatoes on your plants! Last year I would bring baskets in daily at this time of year to process, and this year….I’m lucky if I bring in 4 or 5. But, no point in crying about it now! We have replanted all our raised beds and are hoping for a fruitful fall garden. And, the good news is that we have found unsprayed square bales and will be getting enough to feed our goats over the winter today! 🙂
I am in love with your writing farm animals and blog
There is great wisdom in “It is important to pick my problems and let someone else worry about other ones”, although I find the doing of it more difficult than the saying of it. I might chant this to myself on a regular basis in the future.
Bon Voyage Naomi! <3
Oh sweet Naomi. It will be a sad day when our own Maggie has her turn to go.
I love this post. I love the description of dinner under the trees without bugs but with wine and good conversation and a view of cows. I would love to have been there. I also love how you pick what to worry about…as they say in Italy, very roughly translated: “You worry about what’s going on in front of you; everybody else has your back.”
Tomato jam?
Happy you can go to Europe
pizza in the green garden parlor sounds lovely! Cheers for all the piggies!
Celi- I’m grabbing that picture of Lurch and Boo for a post. Probably up late Sunday or if not Monday. Just FYI!
Good for one is good for all
Yes absolutely! thank you.. c
done. Paws crossed
So glad you have the brass for your European winter journey: can relax!! What on earth will London feel like after The Prairies . . . hope to get there myself next summer/early autumn . . .
Tomato jam?
Happy you can go to Europe
The piglets are so adorable, I just love the video you posted on FB and Instagram. I’m glad you were able to prepay your holiday, makes it easier to enjoy. I am a bit troubled about winter, the farmers almanac indicates it’s going to be a doozy.
… and if you happen to pass Munich let me know. You’re highly welcome!
An evening with no bugs is a miracle in itself! Sounds like a lovely way to end the day.