An interesting discussion at dinner:
Me: The dinner itself is the reason I am farming. The farming is a means to an end – the end being good clean delicious nutritious food. The good food and good dinners are the objective. The farming is the fuel. The farming is the means.
Alex: Food is the fuel that gives him the energy to go out farming. The food is the means. The end being the work. He loves the work. His objective is a good days work. The food is merely fuel. He would eat standing up and has no real interest in the taste as long as it has hot sauce.
Our John. (looking around) Where is John? Gone to bed after eating his dinner leaving us at the table to talk about it. The dinner, the work, no point in discussing it. That is John.
Did you see the new face in the line-up? That is Bobby Red. I bought him yesterday. He had been born by mistake on a feedlot. But he had a good Mum and she raised him before I bought him so he is lovely and healthy and caked in dried mud.
He is very, very friendly – and a good looking Hereford calf. I am not sure of his age – he is about 275 – 300 pounds at a guess. Herefords do very well on pasture so I nab them when I find them. He has horns though but they are too big to deal with now. But that is OK.
He was immediately called Bobby Red giving us the letter “R” for 2017. So any births this year will have a name that begins with R. 2016 was T. There is no rhyme nor reason to the lettering. Don’t even try. All beef animals are called Bobbys. All pork animals are called Plonkers.
Molly’s background has changed as well. Alex has begun to line the pig pen in pallets to cut down on the Easterly rushing into the farrowing pen, this also gives me a better background for my images. I have an unlimited supply of pallets so they will be popping up all over!.
We have sun in the forecast today – it will not be overly warm and there will be wind but there will also be sun. And all is forgiven if there is sun.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
Friday weather:
Day – Sunny. High 56F/13C. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
The Kitchen's Garden 
45 responses to “The means or the end …”
Means. Ends. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The process is the goal. I agree with John.
Lovely photos!
J > Happy is the one who delights in the both the food on the plate and the work done in putting it there – knowing that one without the other loses more than half its worth. Honest labour makes the meal all the more satisfying. Personally, I’m with John. Chosing between them is to miss the point entirely.
Snow here today : ( Can we see a photo of your new helper?
As a rule I don’t put up photographs of the people who work here unless they ask me to. They come and go so fast. And are often shy.. c
I am with you on food being the end. To me the garden and the kitchen go hand in hand. Brett wasn’t much into the taste of food, being more interested in quantity, when we first got married. He still cares about quantity (he works hard), but he’s come around to caring equally about taste. It only took 17 years…
Food every time, although I do like the work especially now the weather is improving the nights are longer and I can truly feel tired and achievement can be observed.
Oh most definitely the means to an end…the eating is the ultimate pleasure, especially if shared with loved ones!
oh those beautiful skies! Hope your day went well!
I think food is to be enjoyed and savoured. It is especially good when shared with family and friends. I like the new herd member, Bobby Red. I hope he fits in well with the rest of the farm group.
Oh I love Bobby R’s darling face and look at that “cow”lick on his forehead…it looks like a snowflake! Is that where the word cowlick came from? 🙂 C’mon Sun!!
After 16 days of no Internet which is limping still: oh, food to me is certainly not fodder! On the one hand it is the strongest of medicines in the world. On the other it is the ultimate art form any of us have to express our imagination and ever-growing knowledge to the delight of self and others and, surely, the best way to make friends, THE cultural way to learn about the rest of the world and to share in peace. Surely the most wonderful way to spend an evening is in 3-4 hours of fusing food and wine and enjoying wonderful conversations. A week is not worth living for me unless such stimulation and learning is available 🙂 !
I adore food (I have just scoffed an Easter bun with home made quince jelly). I admire your hard work and your vim and vigour! Wish I was there to enjoy a meal and a glass of wine with you 😃