A Pig’s Cat

Tane (the disabled kunekune boar) has a cat. Her name is LuLu. All the farm cats are ginger cats and LuLu is the oldest ginger cat.  And LuLu loves Tane.

You know  how cats rub their bodies against your legs and ankles – particularly when you are cooking dinner – well LuLu does this with her pig.

She moves round and round him firmly brushing her little body right along his long one.

They have been going through this routine just before bedtime and around about milking time for years though she is a shy cat and you have to be tricky to get her on camera.

He is a pig though so he studiously ignores her. And she is a cat so she carries an alloofness to the relationship but I bet if I were close (and she seldom lets people close – she is a pigs cat after all)  –  I would hear her pur.

I have seen LuLu sleep close to Tane in the nights too but not for warmth she looks like she is guarding him, watching over him while he sleeps. Often curled up on a bale just above him.

This weekend the cold nights arrive so I bet she will be sleeping a little closer to her pig. But today is again in the high 60’s with a sprinkle of rain forecast.

My fences are all finished at last. At least the infrastructure is in place in case the ground freezes solid before I need them. Now I can put the strings up at my leisure.  Difficult  (Holstein heifer) was sold yesterday so now I am down to ten cows, two mature cows and the rest young or small. We pick up a last load of hay on Sunday.

Today I put Molly (Hereford sow) in with Manu (Hereford boar).

The really exciting news is that today Jake (my long time farming partner and friend) signs and officially takes over the new premises in Pontiac, Illinois, that he will open as a farm to table restaurant this spring.  We have partenered up on different projects for a few years now (in the summer he buys my eggs and vegetables for his CSA) and now it will be my farm on his table! Growing specifically for a restaurant brings my wee farm a sense of maturity and  purpose and if all goes well – security. This plan has been a long time coming up and is the reson why I have been slowly expanding, so I am ready.

I will keep you up to date as we get ready to open.

The restaurant will be called The Seasonal Plate.  It will intially be open for lunches and features locally sourced, seasonal, fresh food.

I hope you have a lovely day.

celi