Thank you Rick and Michele

We sent our 2 favorite pigs off to Larry's Custom Meats yesterday, but they did not go willingly. Everyone says that pigs are very smart, so everyone must be right. Rick Perry took some convincing, but fairly quickly jumped up onto the trailer. Michele Bachmann, on the other hand, was not taking any of the bribes we offered (banana, dog biscuits, pig feed, beef fat). Bob, our transport guy, allowed us to do our best, much to his amusement I am sure. Finally with his help we were able to convince her to go, but not until The Husband and I were covered in pig poo. I guess we deserved it.

This is our first experience in "harvesting" any of our animals, and it was not easy for either of us. As much as I know all of the good reasons for doing this, I could have happily kept those piggies as pets; but if we are going to continue to eat meat, I do feel better about knowing that my meat comes from some very spoiled and happy animals.

Thank you, my pigs.

New additions

Just when you thought we were done...

In thinking about what to do with the naked girl who doesn't want to leave her cozy chicken hospital to rejoin the others in the coop, we decided to get her some baby chicks to keep her company. Since she is Red Momma, who kept trying to sit on her eggs to hatch them, we thought that maybe she would accept some little ones as her own. Of course we did not consider the fact that chicks need to be kept at constant temperature of around 90°, and that would be hard to accomplish in a cold garage even with a heat lamp.

So the babies are in a plastic crate in the Music Room. They are just 1 week old today. As they get a little bigger and get their big-girl feathers, we will see how Red Momma accepts them...or doesn't.

They are 3 Rhode Island Reds (the orangey-red ones) similar to Red Momma but she is a mix. The little brown ones are Araucana/Ameraucana otherwise known as Easter Eggers because they lay all different color eggs—turquoise, aqua, olive green.

The cats are very much interested in the peeping coming from behind closed doors, but the dogs are definitely older and going deaf, because they don't hear a thing, and that's a good thing.

Rotten Roo and the black girls

Roo and the black girls have come back a few times a day to visit with my naked hen since we have been letting her loose. The red girl (in the photo) is becoming less naked every day, but she prefers to stay in the garage at night, rather than going back to the coop with the girls (and Roo).

The new plan is to get some chicks for her to raise and create her own new flock (on her terms) and then see if we can return all of them to the coop out front. Worst comes to worst, we'll have 2 separate flocks to deal with.

Rest in peace, my good friend

Don't know what to say except that you are in a better place. After a 7-year (or more) painful battle with breast cancer, we lost you yesterday, Jane. We miss you. You are the strongest woman I have ever known.

9.17.1962 to 2.9.2012