My Truest Love

Tomorrow I am taking a trailer down to the butcher and getting rid of two sows. I partially decided to downsize on the pigs. I am sad to do this, but quite frankly do not see an alternative with the work load we have. I meant to take my two white pigs, but the black one hopped in the trailer...So I shut the door and went up for dinner. I became the saddest, most irritable grouch knowing my beautiful, big girl (Big Momma) was locked in for the butcher. About an hour later the door was opened, and I let both pigs out. She is going to stay on the farm. I love her too much. She is such a lovely pig. She doesn't test the fence line, she is gentle even when I grab a piglet. She lets me pet her belly, and lay my body against hers.

So I devised an idea for quick construction for a summer pen at the new place. I am going to try rotating Big Momma, Priscilla, Berta and the new piglets on pasture using a central house, with rotation of paddocks around the fixed pen. I'll run an irrigation line out to them for water, and electric fence them in. For added security I will double line with sheep fencing.

Big Momma rooted the foundation of a small shed before. So I was tentative to build much for them. I think- not sure but think I have an idea that will work. I am going to stack some hay bales on their sides and drive rebar down through them into the ground so that they are fixed in place. Then I will use the rebar that is exposed to use as a base to bend plastic conduit over. In this way I will (hopefully) have a semi-pig proof hoop house for my ladies.

As for the pasture I am not sure. I have had a lot of luck rotating pigs on pasture before. The key is to move them quickly. I think the best bet for this summer is to realize that I am busy, and that some of it will become sacrifice ground. I will just plan on having the area become a small garden the following year.

Above is a picture of Big Momma as a piglet. My little sweetheart love. =)
-Guy who fell in love with a pig.

Mary Oliver

I spent today with Mary Oliver. She sat in my pocket; the one on the left on my backside, which is so rarely used as the wallet is designated to the right back pocket. I took her out here and there to read her wisdom of being In Blackwater woods.

I love poems, and I have had a rather late introduction to Mary Oliver and some of her wonderful thoughts. Today was a very productive day. I bought grain for all the growing and very hungry chicks, moved some baby bunnies to the new farm, cut out the edges of the field, dropped the septic design off at Concord, picked up bread, finished up the middle piece of the garden and with some mostly hopeful thinking added some lime before the rains, then separated a pregnant pig, and now am inside with you- and Mary Oliver. Throughout the day I would pull out her work and enjoy the smooth words in between work and being nervous about the many things that need to be done on the farm and house. Below is her poem, In Blackwater Woods- and I hope you enjoy it.

Look, the trees
are turning
their own bodies
into pillars

of light,
are giving off the rich
fragrance of cinnamon
and fulfillment,

the long tapers
of cattails
are bursting and floating away over
the blue shoulders

of the ponds,
and every pond,
no matter what its
name is, is

nameless now.
Every year
everything
I have ever learned

in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side

is salvation,
whose meaning
none of us will ever know.
To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.
Mr. Collins looking down (condescendingly) at the camera. I left a candy on top of the bales, and leaped, and landed on the top bale with my knees, but slid off. You stared down on me as if apologetic of my non-fluidity- my inability to place my body into the curve of a movement that loses itself over space.

Grandpa showing me how to weld on a jack to a trailer I picked up for my tractor. Zac did alright, but definitely needs some work.

Check Valve And Asparagus

Marianne and I planted the asparagus yesterday. I bought 2 bundles just to have a foot in the door policy with the vegetable. I love it, and wanted to get started with a small bed right away. In the Small Farmer's Journal by LynnMiller- a horse farmer said that he would flop a furrow, and then plant his potatoes tight in that furrow, and then flop the next furrow right over to cover the potatoes. He went on until all the potatoes were planted, and then harrowed right over.

My grandfather and I thought it was a wonderful idea. So we retrofitted the idea for asparagus. It was a little late to plant, but it went quick, and planted very deep. I am going to go over the top with the tilled to cut the surface a little tomorrow, and then toss on a load of composted manure.

Today we got water over at the place. Actually, I am now getting pretty sleepy so the post is going to end, but lets say finally! and woohoo! It will be very nice to get water to the tomatoes in the hoop house.
Zac

The bun-buns are happy tonight. Cutting grass with a hand scythe is a blissful way to end a long day.

Today, Zac and I planted asparagus root stalk right behind the barn. Zac is at ease with his tractor he knows many important things about it: how to get it to move forward, how to put it in reverse, how to drop the doohicky that lowers the harrows, and how to stop the thing!
Me? Not so much. haha But I got on it anyway and tried my hand at harrowing. I wish I had a picture of the outcome to show all of you, but right there next to Zac's beautiful straight rows was a wiggly wobbly, caddywhompus "row". Apparently you have to go at a certain speed in order to get the grass to flop over. Oh well :) shovels work great.
We also had fun when we tried to stick the plow onto the tractor. Once again I took a seat on the tractor. This time I got to put it in reverse! I won't say much about this escapade, but I am glad that Zac has quick reflexes! (and a great deal of patience, he is a wonderful man)

Stuff Stuff...Hot

Well, I found out where the poison ivy that maliciously infected my hands and forearm for the last weekish is located. There was a very good looking hickory on the roadside of our property that had a tight growing vine proceeding up the trunk of the tree. I just assumed that it was either Bitter Sweet or some nasty parasitic plant whose fate was destined to be cut apart. I grabbed the thick vine, and cut away with my pocket knife till I could pull it away from the tree. Two days later my fingers swelled up from poison ivy. Today I noticed some large poison ivy vines on the wall and went "aha! There it is."

Taking the rest of the day off. Cousin's bday is today in Goffstown, and making a dual purpose trip to pick up a shallow well pump in New Boston. Tired, and hott from the day, so thus the early post.

I found Marianne's camera which is a good marital move. I had safely placed it on a shelf in the barn, but could not until today find which shelf in which barn I had placed it. So I would like to finish this post with pictures, captions, and a goodbye!



Lights in the barn. Very nice. Less tripping at night.
Hens on even newer pasture. Poultry netting working even better than expected. Their mobile cover is now working well. I put up two wooden purlins (not shown) which stiffened the structure right up. The whole thing is very light, and can be pulled with ease by one person. I made the mistake of not putting the chicken water and feed underneath it. We are down about 20 eggs a day right now, and I think better location of the nests, water and feed to their midday rest areas would improve our egg production. Just a hunch. So I moved a water bucket over to the cover, and will condense everything tomorrow.
Almost 16 days old and already in a halfway house. This is the name of our second stage housing for the broiler chicks. They get moved from the brooder to the half way house. This allows them to get outside, and use their wings and legs, and become introduced with pasture while still keeping the ability to go in out of weather.
First attempt at a hoop house for tomoatoes. Not bad. Couple changes needed, but really should work well. Will finish ends and sides tomorrow.

Tired With Grrrr

Tired with Grrrr is my super-masculine way of saying there are a couple things irking me. Although I do not think I should dwell on any particulars since: 1. I do not have any masculine/super testosterone driven way of saying "grrr" and 2. I want to keep this a happy blog and 3. I really just need a back rub and a good nights sleep.

I ordered a shallow well pump on Northern Tool and as I clicked the checkout box I noticed it was back ordered for up to a month. Anyways, I can cancel the order tomorrow, but have to call in, which leads me to having to find another pump....

May sound odd but was hoping to have a more "poetic" summer, with some literature tucked away at nights and moments with the farm, and new trees to explore, but at the moment....There has been more driving than I am used to, which is something different for me to become adjusted to. I keep tabs on my driving and thoughts of global warming as they exit my tailpipe. There has just been a lot more of it on my end as we travel between farms, and drive to pick up equipment or materials. Today most of my day was spent driving. I went up to Grantham to pick up a hay conveyor- a coworker sold it to me, and was a very nice piece of equipment to add to the farm. However, the one ton eats up gas, and I like to keep that down. I'd show a picture of the conveyor, but I cannot find the camera.......my fault don't tell Marianne.

Last year I spent most of my summer on the farm with relatively little driving. This year it seems like the driving will be a standard part of every day. I didn't drive for the first three days after I graduated college. I made it an integral part of how the farm worked last year. Unfortunately I still work off the farm- hopefully in the nearish future driving can be reduced and then taken out of my daily life.

I would LOVE!!! to show everyone pictures of the farm, the new temp cold frame, the kittens playing on a hay stack, the baby chicks, but I have NOOOOOO clue where I put Marianne's camera! Eek. It is around, somewhere. =)
Zac

The Midge of Death!

Hahaha We laugh the laugh of the sinister man who lurks under the stairway of a poorly directed B film. We have aphids on our plants in the greenhouse. Inspired by Greg Berger at Spring Ledge Farm and their wonderful pest management practices, we went and called an IPM lab and they suggested a small predatory midge that preys upon aphids. Those vicious little creatures that suck the phloem of life from our precious little basils and peppers.

Anyways, we knew we wanted to go in the direction of a dynamic method of taking care of pests, so this was a nice way to start. If it doesn't work, then we aren't out much, and the plants are going outside very soon. If it works then spectacular they can keep us ahead. Sleepy.
Zac