Blind Hog and Acorn

Black walnuts have just about all fallen from the majority of trees.  Acorns showing up in unusual places. Load of wethers taken to the sale barn.  Saw a notice later from the sale barn that a large ram had escaped- no doubt when being unloaded.  " Please call us if seen ..." Three cords of wood completely fill the wood pile. Forth cord in process.  Bestest ever fig harvest this year, FI...

Roofing! Joist supports!  Lawn mowing!  Walnut gathering!  Chick hatching!  What was lacking?  Rain...   So what else is new? Acorn also found a Source for bona fide NPS Ranger belts, circa 1930's but made to order now.  Guy in California owns the roller used "back in the day" and Acorn ordered a belt for Blind Hog and herself...  Blind Hog was most impressed. Acorn continues with t...

Lows in the 50??  Lovely...  Will take it!  Now if the farm could just get about 12" of rain. Piddly things done on the farm, working in the garden, cutting firewood, messing with the goats. Springfield house will get a new roof on Monday- guy said it would be done in a day.  Acorn was not amused with all the bids.  Get it done and let that be all the major issues for a good few years...

Well then! An overnight in Kentucky with a 7 hr drive there and back.  Two cave tours, two picnic lunches, 18 rare breed chicken eggs and to come back to the farm 3 hrs into a 14 hr power outage.  Them farmers certainly know how to have a good time! Is hard to describe how vast Mammoth Cave truly is.  Immense.  Just immense.  Pictures don't do it justice unless one has a person in view for sc...

Exxxxxcelllllent trip to Bentonville for the farmers.  Mental batteries recharged and spirits uplifted by wonderful art.  And food ... Drought continues on the farm.  Eggs in the incubator- 19 guinea eggs, 7 banty eggs and soon there will be Swedish Flower Hen eggs once the farmers return from a trip to Mammoth Cave NP next week.  Is Acorn excited?  You betcha!

 The farm got a new buck today- an 18 month old mostly Myotonic with 1/4 Spanish.  He is a nice stout lad with great muscling and HUGE "organs of reproduction..."  As Blind Hog says- he will be a big boy if he can grow into his nuts . Acorn had an eye exam, advised to hold off on corrective surgery till cataracts force the issue. Roofing estimates coming in, three alone taken on Wednesda...

Yup- just took a hungry hen to flap up to the brooder box, flip the hook latch and kick the door slightly open.  When discovered later- all the peeps had gone and no trace.  So much for that- Guinea Keets 1, Acorn 0... Blind Hog's cataract procedure was a success- things brighter, sharper and he does not need his magnifying glass to read!  Will be rechecked in 2 weeks for new vision Rx. Droug...

Yay!  Cataract procedure appears to be successful for Blind Hog.  Already he is noticing improved vision.  Hot damn! Meanwhile on the farm, the hay field re- fencing project is now compete.  Acorn's shoulders are saying "praise be" to that.  Now Acorn can refocus attention to the garden which has rapidly gone wild. Surgery follow up and meeting with service peoples at the Springfiel...

Almost done with the 3rd hay field paddock!  Just 245' left to pull.  The fenceline is all tidy between SteelMeadow and the neighbors. Guinea keets made it out to the chicken coop- in their brooder pen is inside the fence "porch" of the chicken coop.  Keets will get to watch the chickens and learn that "this is home..." Garden has been a little neglected but beans are maki...

Finally back to the refencing project, Acorn sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Less than two weeks to get the project completed before Blind Hog's cataract surgery.  Heat, cold, rain and heavy dew have not been kind to the goats but "we see this..." Acorn calls it "summer pneumonia" and it can take a goat in less than 48 hrs.  Good news is that the majority of the h...

VERY Unusual start for August, but Blind Hog and Acorn are not complaining.  After a few days of rain, the farmers were able to get out and about and start clearing brush and overhanging limbs on the west fence line. Blind Hog got his cataract evaluation and will be getting a new lens in mid August. Yay!  The MD used a laser and cleared crud from behind the replacement lens in his left eye, and it...

Weather was really hot, cooled down, now is hot again.  Sounds like perfect summer pneumonia for the goats.  Currently 96F with heat index of 116F. Fencing continues- Blind Hog and Acorn pulled fence and took down more of the old fence in preparation for the new.  All is going according to plan. Outdoor chores are done in the morning, afternoons spent inside. Heat has brought up the okra and beans...

Fencing continues, even while Blind Hog was enjoying unlimited cookies and candy during his jury duty!  Ha!  The case was done in a day so he should be off the hook now.  Wood posts are now set with their floating braces.  After a couple days of settling in, the woven wire fence can be rolled out. Unusual rains continue, great for the field and garden, but goat parasites are just awful this year. ...

Blind Hog and Acorn got the first 560' of high tensile goat fence up and done!  Had to wait longer on the chain tensioners but boy howdy did they ever help stretching the fence.  Now to move on to the next two paddocks of the hay field. Acorn canned up some blackberry juice and applesauce from last year's apples that started to wrinkle.  Fermentation has been working with cucumbers and s...

Extreme heat warnings about done for the week, a few slightly cooler days ahead.  Fencing project will resume as of next week- waiting on a couple chain strainers to arrive. Blind Hog has been working on the drive, Acorn in the garden.  Canning up peaches for the first time in YEARS!!! New incubator is set up and guinea eggs rocking gently- too many little buggers to manually turn 3x a day for Aco...

Wellll, hard to bitch about the rain when the farm is just 2 weeks from a drought.  June will be 9" or more... Blind Hog and Acorn set the 8 "floating braces" on the wood fence posts, now to string  out a straight line, measure where t posts will go and so on. Acorn has been a " fermentista "- making kraut and deli dill pickles.  Blind Hog is dubious of the muffins that ha...

The farm fared well during the big rain- driveway washed a bit but the county road did not, at least not on our end too much.  A miracle. Garden and goats doing well, another couple posts were set in the field. Acorn dropped the Facebook Marketplace Bike off to get a tune up, and Saturday gave them a bag of accessories to install... Tires/tubes/saddle/pedals.  Will get it almost to be a brand new...

Farm chores have been a tad bit limited doe to the weather, namely rain...  And more rain...  And if not rain at the farm then a toad-strangler in Springfield and had water from the yard find its way under the house.  Gutter drain extensions (the black 4" x10 long sections) should noodle the water on away. Acorn got her application FedEx'd to The Great White North...  Project completed. ...

Grass is growing, fields needed another clipping as the old bush hog did not do all that great.  Much better with the new equipment. Lil' Honker is having fun running around with the 6 adults. Blind Hog and Acorn been doing the usual chores, and Acorn just might be wrapping up the Canadian Citizenship application.  Like being back in school, doing a research project.

Woooo hooo!  The farm got rain...  Unfortunately, it is a month's worth in a couple days, but hard to complain. Zucchini is growing like mad, did anyone say "zucchini boat for lunch???" Fencing project is getting rolling- fence in section 1 is down, 2 wooden posts set. Acorn is working on applying for Canadian Citizenship by Ancestry...  More of a "because she can" thing-...

Farmers have been up and at it this week- no trips to the big city either! Blind Hog dealt with an elm Acorn had him cut down- the limbs were touching the roof (horrors!).  It got hauled to the North 40.  Acorn had planted the beans in the garden and today it is like Jack and the Beanstalk out there...  Even the tomatoes are taking off.  Had a good soaking rain (1.41" total) and every drop he...

Field clipping completed, the little Kioti and the new rotary cutter did swell with Blind Hog in the driver's seat.  The farmers usually get the fields clipped by this time- will keep the grass growing and not put all the energy into seed production. December-born wethers off to market this morning.  Next batch should go right before the 4th of July holiday. About time to get the fencing proj...

Fescue is growing so Blind Hog is clipping the seed heads off- problem was, the old brush hog twisted the back wheel (again) and it damn near got tore off.  Acorn found several other stress fractures in the rotary cutter deck so Blind Hog got Acorn an Mother's Day present...  A new rotary cutter. Acorn does admit, it fits the new Kioti quite well and trails along behind it nicely. Garden work...

Yup- Blind Hog and Acorn took the stock trailer to Menard's to get treated lumber for the fencing project, the greenhouse and a french drain.  Holy moley!  Good thing prices were checked online first, or there would have been even more grumbling! Nasturtium baskets are up, orioles and grosbeaks at the feeders, four pair of martins in the gourds. All four of the goslings have gone to their new...

Four lil' honkers out, buyer cannot get them for another week.  They may be half-grown by then!  Acorn has plans for an outdoor gosling run as well as fenced-in above ground coop pen for them.  Blind Hog brought down the old cattle mineral feeder on skids for the coop, and the 4'x5' pen used for previous peeps and honkers. Things are getting done around the farm.  Garden work, lives...