Be Safe!

I just went outside into the cold, with a slight snow cover on the ground, to collect eggs.  The chickens had feed but their water was about out.  Did I want to fill the waterer, getting my bare hands wet in 24 degree weather feeling like 18? NOOOO!!!!  Of course, this is a tad better than the 1 degree we had earlier today. But, my answer is still NO.  I will ask Glenn to give them water when he gets home.

 

Like I said, we have a slight snow cover.  There were dog prints and Glenn prints and Becky prints and cat prints and then, I added my prints - small ‘baby step’ stride prints.  I did not want to fall.  I hate to fall.  I would rather be safe, slow and silly-looking than sorry which brings to mind my mother-in-law.

 

Earlier this season, my mother-in-law slipped, fell and tried to catch herself with her hand once she hit the ground.  You guessed it… she broke her wrist.  Now, she is 86, lively, but not so careful. But, in reality, you do not have to be 86 to break a bone.

 

I will continue with my snail-pace baby steps, thank you!

 

 

 

Note:  The eggs were frozen inside their shells - ugh!

Road Trip - Becky, Bush and BBQ

Yesterday, Becky and I went on a road trip. The destination, to view a potential Australian Shepherd puppy for Becky, was two-hours away.  Seeing as her dog Buddy has basically become my dog and is well entrenched in farm life at Mountain Glen, Becky decided she wanted a dog at her farm and her own canine companion. The short version…she decided on one of the pups from a lively litter of 6 and will return in early February to retrieve her puppy when he is 8 weeks old. The longer version…bringing the puppy home will be continued here, in this blog, in February.

 

The scenery along the way was beautiful.

 

Skipping breakfast and already nearing 1:00 pm, we decided to make a lunch stop.  The roar from our stomachs was just too loud to ignore. I, in a rare moment for me, chose the eatery - a barbeque place that I had visited twice before in the past 5+ years, first with Glenn and a second time with my friend Ann.  I enjoyed the taste experience both times, so how could we go wrong.  Beside, since Becky started her pig business, we have been frequenting barbeque restaurants in a vastly higher percentage than other cuisines - a kind of scouting trip for potential business.

 

 

We headed to the Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque in Daleville, Virginia. (120 Kingston Drive, to be exact) This place is hidden in a strip mall off Route 220, but is well worth the effort to search and patronize.  The restaurant is clean and inviting even though the adjacent business is Curves, an exercise enterprise coveted by women.  My stomach voiced its desire again.  We adamantly entered Three Li’l Pigs.

 

Becky and I were shown to a table.  We sat and ordered.  And, before the food arrived, I decided it was essential to wash my hands since they were well coated with dog and puppy love.

 

On return to my seat, Becky told me to look at the back of my chair.  A gold plate was attached and engraved, ‘GEORGE H. W. BUSH SAT HERE 9-12-06’.  I felt just a bit more important sitting in a chair that a former president actually sat in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More importantly is that we were very pleased with our food.  Pork sandwiches, fries, coleslaw and hushpuppies - delicious!  Becky had sweet potato fries with peach ketchup - perfectly southern!

Food looks as good as it tastes...try some!

Three positive visits equal a well-deserved recommendation and a return.  Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque stays on my list of restaurants to visit again.

 

This is the place to look for...comes highly recommended by me!

 

On the way out, the adjacent establishment did not even bother us.  Curves…yep I got them and that flavorful bbq et al certainly helped me keep them.

 

Becky Buys A Boar and Other Pig Pictures

Becky's World of Pigs...

Last week, Becky and her Dad drove to West Virginia to check out some boars.  This was their third such outing.  This time they came home with a bonny Berkshire boar.

 

boar (facing us) with the two Hampshire gilts

Now, male in residence with her five females, Becky can finally begin pig production.

 

petting her pig...who needs a dog?

Initially, the boar was placed with all five gilts.  Today, Becky decided to separate the Hampshire gilts (the two older females and ready for breeding) from the Tamworth gilts (the three younger gilts and a bit too young to breed.  Note: If you recall, Becky bought four of the red Tams, but one recently succumbed to infection).

 



notice where I am located...out of the mud, taking the photo

With help from Glenn and Colby, Becky handily walked the boar and the two Hampshire gilts from the pig shed to the barn.  The move was fairly easy and without fanfare.  Within moments, the three red Tams arrived…escaping from their shed to be with their buddies.  Coercing them back was not quite as simple.  Fortunately, it only took a mere two attempts.  Nothing on the farm can ever be too easy.

 

So, if the boar does his job, Becky should have little piglets running around in about 114 days.

 

How much longer for the PORK?  I am not sure, but my mouth is watering.

 

 

A Lesson To Learn

‘A person never stops learning’…that is Glenn’s new mantra.

 

Today, Glenn, Becky and I returned from a short afternoon outing to town to run some errands and to have an early dinner.

 

Glenn pulled my car under the carport and Becky immediately knew something was different.  On the other side of the fence from where my car was parked was a brand new baby lamb chasing its mother. We could hear another lamb baaing behind the accidently closed sheep door to the inside stall. One baby was out with its mom and one baby was wanting out of the barn to get to its mom.  Becky rushed to open the door from whence the second baby ran out with a mission…to find its mom.

 

Seems we are really out of sync for lambing this season.  Glenn allowed the ram to stay among last April’s new and birthing ewes just a bit too long.  Of course, we did not realize Winky's activity until some of the ewes recently started to expand.

 

Fortunately, Becky and Glenn got the expectant ewes up into the barn lot; nine in total, with access to an inside stall yesterday. And, just in time as tonight will be our coldest night of the season, to date, at a -3.  Some winters we do not get colder than 30…not this year, though. 

 

Considering it was already in the 20’s on our early return, those two little baby lambs looked to be in fine shape at less than four hours old.  The cold did not seem to bother them yet.

 

They were more concerned with getting the milk.

 

And so, Mountain Glen Farm’s 2014 lambing season begins...three  months early, but begins nonetheless!

2014 BEGINS

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014!

 

A NEW DAY, A NEW YEAR…AN OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN FRESH

 

FOR A START, THINK ABOUT WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU AND PROCEED IN THAT DIRECTION

 

THEN, EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS

 

TIME IS FLEETING

 

YOUR TIME IS NOW!

Out With the Old

Well, today is the last day of 2013 and...

 

- Matthew left for his return to his duty station

 

- My newest camera is not working - taking photos is on again/off again and transferring them to my computer file is non-existent; therefore, I cannot place pictures on this blog

 

- The computer monitor went blank after weeks of flickering

 

The upside...

 

- Matthew helped with plenty of work around the farm/house, he gifted me one of the rugs he purchased while in Afghanistan (gorgeous), and he left in good spirits

 

-  I have two older cameras that I can use

 

-  Being the pack rat that I am, I still had our monitor from an older model computer - not a flat screen monitor but one that looks and is about the size of a small tv - a much smaller screen, yet useable until we are able to purchase a new one

 

Speaking of pack rat, we (Glenn, Matt and me) spent the past two days starting, and I do mean starting, clean-up of the basement.  Besides all the dirt and dust accumulation, hurried along by the resident wood furnace, we were just one call back away from appearing on the television show, Hoarders. It is probably a good thing that my camera is not working...I do not need any reminders of the 'before'.

 

We started by moving the old kitchen cabinets. They came from our previous home. When we sold the home, the purchasers sold us the kitchen cabinets back.  They were going to remodel the kitchen immediately and our 'new' home had no kitchen cabinets.  We used those old cabinets in our kitchen for years before we were able to afford new ones.  But, unlike the renovation televison shows where everything is demolished, we carefully removed the cabinets for reuse in the basement.  We placed a few for use and others sat around waiting for our next move. Eventually, many years later, Glenn constructed a wall; thus, creating smaller rooms - one of which is to be used as a hobby room, for extra food storage, and to hang the winter laundry for drying.

 

I digress.  In order to move the cabinets into their new and permanent positions, I needed to attend to piles and piles of stuff. Thousands of lidded plastic containers were bagged for recycling.  I kept only a modest, realistic amount for future craft use.  Hundreds of styrofoam McDonald’s cups were trashed.  Glenn is addicted to Big Mac ice tea. I hate to throw anything out that I think we can use again. Fortunately, I was in throw-away mode. One dumpster run down, many more to go.


Thank goodness I had already been recycling tin cans, aluminum cans, paper and miscellaneous plastic for years.

 

I have a lot more to do, but progress has been made.

 

I will continue to clean and toss while Glenn builds a more formal, organized recycling area.  Then, we will…let’s just say there is plenty more to the basement project.  Perhaps, one day you will see the 'after' photo.

 

The year has just ended.  A new day, a brand new year has just begun…

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! 

 

May 2014 bring us all happiness, health and continued liberty!