Real cold is coming. Well, cold for this time of year anyway. In a month it will not be considered cold at all. Tonight we go down to 27F that is -2C. A killing frost. 
So today I will focus on getting straw in to the pigs beds. 
I went to Walmart yesterday to buy more goats milk yesterday and decided to try and collect smiles. So I had my head up the whole time to make the eye contact needed to share a smile.
Only one smile. And that with a man who looked so scared by having his eyes caught that his smile was more of a grimace.
I must be losing my touch. Everyone had their eyes focused totally on the supermarket shelves.
But still that one mans smile was enough. Eye contact heals you know. Heals us both. I go so long without it down here on my farm that when someone does lift their head and see me it is like the jolt of recognition.
The combine harvesters were in the, soon to be organic, field yesterday. I called Harold the new tenant of that 160 acres across the ditch that I have taken out of GM corn and beans and designated organic, and he was pleased to finally take it under his wing, we should be able to get the cover crop in soon and ok.
Though he will not be planting today. We will skip tonight’s cold I think!
He will sow rye or wheat depending on his seed stores as ours is the last fields to be put to bed for the winter.
Speaking of beds.
Piglet found where the heating outlet is. He tried to curl up in one of John’s hats that was down there – like a heat seeking missile. So I brought him his blankie. It is a wooly waistcoat- folded over. He creeps inside it and then pokes his head out the armhole so he can be warm but still watching what is going on.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Celi
WEATHER: Sunny so far.
The Kitchen's Garden 
66 responses to “THE KILLING FROST”
any recent photos of Wei?
That is Wai – in the barn shot
What a beautiful pink Poo Piglet nose! I never thought I’d be enchanted by a pig.
We see you 🙂
I like the reaction I get when I’m looking at someone thinking I love their dress or hair or whatever and then see their cross face and realise they think I was staring…well I was, but in a nice way…..so I smile nicely and apologise for staring and tell them I was just admiring their whatever. Suddenly a big smile will transform their face and they become quite chatty. Then I think it’s sad we’re suspicious of strangers looking at us, and worry it’s all negative.
Oh Nanette! That is exactly it! And it is SO sensible to be suspicious- but I am so bored with that – I know a smile or an eye contact and a raised eyebrow can make all the difference to an otherwise silent day.
Winking and raising an eyebrow at you 🙂
Straight back at ya!
I’m becoming less and less enamoured of going to town, shops etc but one of its redeeming features it that enough people make eye contact and say howyagoin’ on the street. As for the big stores, like you, I’m in and out. Saves me a fortune.
Oh that pig is cute…
Sending you a BIG smile that reaches right to my eyes and is sending you a big warm hug!
Much better! Thank you!
Love that you made it your mission, to make eye contact. A smile is pure medicine- for the “smiler” and recipient! I love the surprise on people’s faces when they realize they are being smiled at, me included! As worry weighs a person down, an encouraging, smile cheers a person up. Smiles are contagious-Don’t all your animals smile?
Piglet is more than happy, he’s in Hog Heaven! Not quite a hog, I know.
It is such a special exchange when someone makes eye contact and you get a genuine big gorgeous smile back from them! Thank you for the cuteness to start my day. xoxo 👀😊
hehehe… I have visions of you with a very large piglet still in the house come February and March, given that the cold is fast approaching and putting him out mid-winter will be very tough on him. Your “smile campaign” is interesting. A couple of friends and I are on a “hello campaign”; whenever we pass someone on the street we smile AND say ‘hello’. You don’t have to live in a rural location to find yourself never in contact with real people and it has occurred to us we’re all in this lifetime together and should make efforts to make it a little more pleasant for those who perhaps have no one. On the whole I seem to receive a pretty good response… not too many ‘hellos’ because I think it catches most off guard, but certainly get lots of smiles in return. Keep it up, as it keeps getting better. Hope you have a lovely day too! — Mame 🙂
You and your friends sound like my kind if people!
Love your morning mission. Seeing the joyful look on someones face to accept the invitation to smile back is great. -me included!-smiles are contagious. Medicine for the “smiler-er”and recipient. As worry weighs a person down, an encouraging smile cheers a person up. Smiles are contagious. Aren’t all of your animals smiling?!
Piglet is in hog heaven. Not quite a hog yet… to be sure.
Have a good evening.
You have the best smile!
I too, make it a point to always say hello to someone I pass by or at least smile at them…It’s the least human thing we can do right? Have you ever seen the video of the young man in Italy holding up a free hugs sign? It’s the best! Darling little Poo Bum Piglet is just too darn cute for his own good! 🙂 Just about big will get when he’s full grown and since he is named, will he stay a member of the Farmy’s family?
I have seen that vid – an interesting experiment.
I always try to elicit a smile when I’m out and about. Like you a lot of my time is pretty solitary. I even like to think people move off with a little lighter step after an exchange of smiles. My sister’s little dog, Spud, discovered their in floor heat register, he lays on top of it so he’s the only one getting warm air, no dummy, him. How I would love to cuddle that little pig! We’re in for our third night of killing frost tonight, Percy pig was almost completely buried in his straw.
Percy is such a Star. Tima lies on top of the straw but Wai works very hard to bury himself. Their bed has lots of old blankets and rags in there this year ( straw being so expensive) and Wai ends up looking like the rag man!
I’m with you, Celi, with regard to smiling at passersby. Great photos as usual.
These temps look wonderful to me; I just turned the AC back on here.
We have suddenly gone from temperatures last week of -2, to daytime temperatures in the twenties. Just in time for Labour Day tomorrow! Yesterday was glorious, today not too bad, I have my fingers crossed for tomorrow, although the weatherman says cloudy. My favourite time of the year, warming up in the day, but not too hot, still cool enough at night to sleep. And everything starting to grow and flower like billy-o.
Coming from a small town, smiling and saying Hello to people is a way of life. You can tell the out-of-towners because they don’t! It does give the spirit a lift, even if you don’t feel like smiling, when you smile at someone and get a smile back, it makes you feel better.
I smiled for two reasons looking at Piglet peeking through the armhole. Obviously because he’s just so darned cute, but also because seeing the word “waistcoat” I suddenly realised where my GranMa’s term for “weskit” came from… Thanks for the smiles and the memory, Celi