The Pigs and the Wallow

In recent weeks as the temperature gage sky-rocketed and the humidity hovered between 100% and 300%, sympathy for our panting and uncomfortable animals abounded. We racked our brains -- brain racking sounds rather awful, doesn't it? -- for a way to cool off our pigs. Highly trained and well-seasoned in the ways of animal husbandry, we thought to ourselves: "Pigs like cool mud, right?"

Our pig yard was cleverly paved, for lack of a better term, with large rocks that the real-farmers that previously owned the property had pulled out of the field over the years. For, pigs, as many of you know, are wonderful rooters: digging with their terrifically strong snouts for roots and other subterranean treats. The rocks were therefore inserted with the twofold purpose of keeping the pigs from destroying their yard and barring their escape beneath the fence.

To create our wallow we simply removed about a dozen of the rocks, filled the resulting hole with water and sat back and enjoyed hours of free entertainment.

Top Quality Pig Cinema!

In other news, there has been a slight let-up in the blazing heat the last few days -- though the high 80's still doesn't feel very comfortable. To capitalize on the tolerable weather, I spent the last two days splitting wood, thanks to our good friend Charlie lending us his awesome 25 ton commercial wood splitter. Yesterday we laid up about 2.5 cords of oak (thanks Rick!) and elm (thanks Martin!). Today I split a half a cord of pine for camp fires; the pine came from two trees that fell down this past winter. All in all, we'll need to collect another 6 or 8 cords to get us through this coming winter. 

Finally, the garden continues to burst; the turkeys continue to grow; the chicks continue to peep and warm our hearts; the puppy continues to play, chew, and amuse; and, in all things we continue to grow fonder and fonder of agrarian life and its many delights.

Momma hen herds her peeping flock

Baby chicks learn to scratch for food with mom

Turkeys enjoy a group hug

Ferocious Hildy scans the horizons for predators

'Lucky' enjoys a scratch from Steph