It’s P-Day for Pigabella.
Her piglets are due today, and the weather is just perfect: sunny, about 75 degrees in her garden, and clear skies as far as the eye can see. Last year PiggyLou Harris pigged on a cold, rainy May morning that wasn’t very hospitable for babies and we lost a lot of them. We have high hopes for this year, and so far Pigabella has spent the morning relaxing in her juicy mud puddle. I always thought it was nice to spend a lot of time in the tub when I was laboring! We’ll be hanging out with Pigabella all day while we work in the back gardens, so we’ll be available to help her out should she need it.
Up next at Circle M – piglets! Pigabella is due at the end of next week, and she’s starting to seem pretty ready to unburden herself of the little ones, especially on these hot days. Here she’s squiggled herself a little hole in a small piece of shade next to the feeder, but we’re making her a puddle with the sprinkler.
Tonight was the first evening to follow a hot day this year (we hit 80 degrees, at least) and as the stars came out, a delightful warmish breeze coursed through our valley. While I finished up chores and stood watching the horses frisk around in the front pasture, it occurred to me that it would be wonderful to sit outside for a while in the dark and enjoy that gentle humid wind. As I came toward the house, intending to call my husband, Shannon, out to join me, I found him already sitting in one of the red metal lawn chairs that make a ring under our ancient apple tree. continued »
Here is the 2009 version of the Circle M chicken tractor design. Aren’t these pretty? For better or worse, one of our main criteria for shelters is that they have to not only function efficiently, they also have to look good and blend in with the old structures that are here on the farm. We’ve built new chicken housing for each of the five years we’ve been here, and each time we’ve learned from our mistakes. I think we’ve succeeded with the aesthetics this time, and we’ll soon see if they work the way we hope they will… continued »
