Blind Hog and Acorn

Can it get any hotter?  Why yes- yes it can! Drier too as well! Livestock plans are being altered to accommodate the best interest of the livestock during the drought, not necessarily that of the farmers. Two separate breeding groups of goats are now combined into one big herd.  Get get'm, boys. Next weekend is the local monthly sheep and goat sale, no doubt volume will be high and prices low...

Another project completed!  Blind Hog and Acorn dismantled the former "chicken tractor" and turned it into a sweet looking AND functional pellet feeder for the goat kids!  No jumping in the troughs, fouling the feeding area with goat pebbles or mud.  Is a bit crowded at feeding time, however half of the kids will be going to market at the end of the month-  the doelings will remain until...

Company from Baton Rouge have come and gone but in between Blind Hog and Acorn had a grand time.  Much fun was had by all, including a day trip to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, as well as their sister facility, The Momentary. Goat kids have been weaned, with the exception of Little Helper's 6 week old doeling.  Little Helper is in with the mob of kids, will act as a "trainer&qu...

Blind Hog and Acorn have a most excellent reason for cleaning up the house and grounds- COMPANY IS COMING! Good friends from Baton Rouge on a road trip with a stop at SteelMeadow. Otherwise, the garden is all planted, irrigation lines reset and all is good out there. Yummy things have been baked (rhubarb pie and a quiche) and a pot of chicken soup is simmering. Acorn made an awning for a couple wi...

National Weather Service forecast for the next two weeks will be above  average temps and below average rain.  WAY above and WAY below...  Blind Hog and Acorn are not amused. Calves are selling, goats are grazing and the bees need to be worked. Blind Hog changed the oil in the big Mahindra, Acorn tended the goose yard and garden.  Both were soaked with sweat today, and more to come! At least the H...

Calpurnia has had her last calf, which will in turn be the last to be born on the farm.  No more breeding cows, these last three geriatric girls have earned their retirement. Chores have been done, fruit is ripening on the trees, and four bouncy calves grace the paddocks. First batch of kids went to market, prices are holding. Weather has been gorgeous, just enough rain to keep things green withou...

Working working working...  Blind Hog and Acorn have been earning their bread labor since the rains decided to stop.  Full days outside working in the garden, brush hogging the fields. sorting goats, moving goslings around. Days being longer just means they just keep going ... Lupine had her final calf, and after watching her push a few times with nothing to show for it, Acorn had to pull a "...

Fred and Ethel are at their new home north of Springfield and Blind Hog and Acorn drove to Kansas to pick up six Cotton Patch geese/goslings.  Much excitement, cannot wait to see how these goslings grow! On top of that gardening, milking, blood moons, and pasture maintenance have pretty much been the routine for the week. Bee hive split has been made. Fingers crossed as timing seemed perfect!  Thr...

Has been an interesting few weeks to say the least.  Blind Hog and Acorn have been doing all the things, and with Acorn seemingly taking off (literally) every 5 -7 days, no wonder the garden is behind! Good news is that the tomatoes and eggplants are out, cabbage, onions, broccoli etc all doing well.  Even saw some green strawberries! The dawn redwood has transplanted just fine, and even the two g...

Acorn has had four trips to Florida since February, and with only two nights at home between trips #3 and 4, she is more than a bit unsure of the calendar. But alas, farm life is definitely a routine that provides muscle memory, and back into the usual tasks she went. Apple trees are loaded with blossoms, Asian pear also looked really good.  Garden and yard were both mowed.  Time to plant some veg...

A dawn redwood on the farm?  Creep feeder for the goat kids? Sounds like Blind Hog and Acorn are having too much fun! First rhubarb of the season has been picked, Ethel has 10 eggs in her nest. How many more will she lay before she decides to settle down on them? Here is the link for the Nova episode "The Cannabis Question".

Yes, Acorn was called away again due to family needs and Blind Hog held the conn with Sam. Meanwhile the livestock scale worked, then didn't, then got fixed. Plans made for geese, cows, garden, goats. A delicious loaf of Icelandic rye bread, baked for 12 hrs is sampled. Perfect during the crazy weather when Mother Nature can't decide between low 20's with flurries and 70's and...

While Acorn was able to replace the tie rod ends, little did she and Blind Hog realize the ball joints all needed to be replaced as well.  That little issue was discovered at the shop when the front end alignment was started.  It is what it is... Have a farm?  You must have a working truck. Goats are being milked and from it yogurt for the freezer. Load feet installed on the goat tilt table and th...

A productive week on the farm~ Blind Hog and Acorn repaired the F350's tie rod ends! Was the picture perfect set up of a 20 yr old truck up on jack stands in the front yard. Once the pair of farmers got started, it was "just that easy." Road Commissioner has promised to send a road grader, but the county is so big and the tax base so small, they are not expecting much. Blind Hog got...

34 commercial kids born Monday through  Friday.  Sired by the same buck, they are all white- quick eartagging and notes help tell  kids apart when things get confusing in the barn! Snow storm pretty much missed us- just had some flurries yesterday but not "inches of accumulation."  Works for Acorn. The tie rod on the F350 broke- the connector sleeve wallowed out the threads and so the ro...

Ho boy - did Blind Hog and Acorn ever have a domestic scare this week!  The dreaded "warping of hardwood floor boards!" Luckily, it was not "zebras" but a much simpler, less exotic cause of the issue.  A bit of cosmetic repair and all will be right with the world. Hissy Kitty was the first cat taken to the vet- Acorn did in fact trap BOTH Nessie and Lil' Pumpkin who live i...

Sleet covers the ground, but it is beginning to thaw.  Thank goodness for ice cleats! Commercial goats have held off kidding (so far) during these single digit wind chills and icy weather. Time to begin trapping the barn kitties and get them spayed/neutered.  Actually, Acorn had one in the trap already but it escaped when lifting the trap door to unload into the cat carrier. That was "Little...

Getting ready for more goat kids  and goose eggs! Fun on the farm! Blind Hog and Acorn missed the worst of the last winter storm that went through, almost 3" of rain though.  They are not complaining.  Well, they are complaining about the county road and lack of maintenance...  But what else is new? A few nice days to get chores done in preparation of yet more goat kids. Garden too could use...

Blind Hog got to do all the chores by himself for a whole week, timed perfectly with The Big Snow   while Acorn was down in Florida!  Florida??!! Not exactly a vacation but a"rescue" of sorts- getting her dad out of ICU and into hospice where he was able to have a peaceful end. It was go go go for all concerned; crazy schedules, lack of sleep, emotional rollercoasters.  The PSA take home...

Four dairy does with a set of twins each- lovely!  Other than the first set of twins born during single digits, the others did very well, save for the last kid who had a front leg pointed the wrong way- Call the Midwife! Grazing changes made, hay is moving out of the barn very slowly (for once!). Nice to have the grazing to carry the feed burden. Blind Hog got two thumbs up from his cardiologist-...

Slow week on the farm- cold weather blew in and our farmers spent most of the time indoors. Verdandi did kick off the kidding season with a set of twins- born at dawn when the temps were 0°F. Oy!  One kid was chilled so much that it would not stand, but an hour inside with some Lyle's Golden Syrup on her tongue and soon she was ready for milk and after that, her momma! Calli, another dairy go...

After another unusually warm week, Blind Hog and Acorn were not only able to work the goats and get them vaccinated, but also tap in 25 sap spiles into the black walnut trees, plus a sycamore.   Acorn collected 19 gallons before the sap flow stopped- due to warm weather, but after the next 10 days the sap should flow again because it is going to get cold...  19 gallons boiled down to five 8-oz jar...

Blind Hog and Acorn have to report that Winter is Back...  Fed out the first round bale of the season.  Cows and goats all tucked in for inclement weather, dairy barn prepped for upcoming kids. Of course- " Let's kid goats in January ..." Minor fence repair here, alleyway addition there.  Baking up goodies to keep the hungry farmers going. Abbreviated history lesson from our sponsor...

Just when you hoped 2021 would be the end of the Dumpster Fire that was 2020, we get to recycle that New Year wish for 2022! Blind Hog and Acorn spent the past week finishing up farm projects and chores in the unusually warm weather.  Buck shelter has a floor AND bedding, goats have hay to nibble on, and the bunk feeders for goat grain treats are officially done. Phew! Blind Hog and Acorn also hav...

 Blind Hog and Acorn are STILL taking advantage of the record warm temperatures- they built six new goat feeders from old ones.  Muy bueno! Other than that, and rearranging a round pen that was inside the alleyway, that has kept our intrepid farmers out of trouble. Time to sit back with something decadent and enjoy some Christmas Cheer!  Talk to you next year! XXOO Blind Hog and Acorn