PIGS, COWS, CATS

That about sums it up. 

A gentle day was had by all yesterday.  It was warm after a while and the sun shone generously throughout the day with a good measure of wind to continue drying out the mud.   Wai (above) is still sleeping in his little tin shack in the back of the Corridor Paddock. What I find interesting, but not surprising when you think about it, is that the other pigs Tima and Tane do not bother him at all in his new house. In fact they go no-where near it, not even to lie next to it.  Everyone goes to their own bedrooms in the evening.  And all is well.

Though all that rain and all those pigs pretty much means that the last of the grass in their fields is gone.  And their fields are not that small.    In the spring they will be resown in something delicious. 

Though still quite limpy Tane is getting around better than he has in a year or so.  He is also looking so much shinier and his long hair is softer. He can run too, bless him and likes nothing more than to get into the chook house when their door is opened in the afternoon and grubble about in there looking for leftovers. 

The white rock chickens that I am growing for the freezer are really taking a very long time to grow. They eat a lot of pasture but are growing very slowly which makes them so much more expensive to produce. I want to get as much chicken in the freezer as I can before the winter comes because I don’t want to grow chickens for meat next year either. No milking, no chickens, no calves born, no enormous garden, no woofers.  None of the big time-consumers.

Next summer I hope to be freed up enough to move about a little, travel about the families more,  concentrate on the areas of the farm that make actual money like eggs, beef, pork and the Zazzle shop. John intends to retire early for one reason or another and if the farm is not paying for itself it is doomed.

Txiki is next to be put up for sale. Alex and her baby Rainbow have sold and will go to their new home in early December.  I adore Txiki though and am reluctant. She is such a quiet wee pet. But cows are expensive pets and she would be a perfect little cow for a little farm.

Another lovely day ahead. The nights are not even that cold yet. We have been lucky with this weather. We have just passed our first frost date so we can expect a change soon but so far we are having a perfect fall. I was so afraid that winter would come early. But we still have pasture growing and warmth enough to dry the washing in a couple of hours.  So all good.

The roads are heaving with harvesting equipment as they try to get as many of the crops out before the weekend’s rain.  Everyone is sniffing from the dust. The corn bins all have their dryers on and the air is loud with the buzz of the big fans getting the last of the moisture out of the GM corn or beans.  I will be out and about today delivering eggs and beef and vegetables so I will try to remember to take some photos for you.

I hope you have a lovely day.

Love celi

WEATHER: Abundant. Sunshine. Lovely.

Thursday 10/19 0% / 0 in
Abundant sunshine. High 72F. Winds light and variable.

Thursday Night 10/19 10% / 0 in
Clear skies. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.

Sun
7:09 am 6:05 pm
Moon
Waning Crescent, 0% visible 6:47 am 6:28 pm