Happenings of Life on The Farm
This week is all sunshine and warmer temperatures. Makes us actually believe that spring is coming. Things seem to be drying up fairly quickly. Time to get the seeding equipment out and ready. It will all depend on whether the weather lasts into next week as well or not.
Are we supposed to look forward to being busy?
We didn’t get all of the manure spread last fall due to the early snow we got, so the tank under the barn is getting fairly full. Since it was supposed to be freezing overnite all weekend, we thought we would try and spread some using the drag hose first thing in the morning when the ground was frozen enough that we could drive on the field. Friday we had a leaking pipe, so by the time we got that fixed, there wasn’t any frost left to drive on. Saturday morning, there was enough manure that hadn’t drained out of the hose from Friday, that it froze enough to plug it. We had to wait until after lunch for it to thaw enough to flush out. After sitting out Sunday morning, we tried again Monday. It was the hardest frost of the weekend, and the field was perfect for driving on. Unfortunately, although we made sure the hose was drained out on Saturday, there was enough left somewhere to plug it again!
Have to hope for some dry weather for the next week, and hope we can drive on the field then. (with no frost in sight) otherwise the pigs are going to be needing swimming lessons!! 😉
Our dog, Sophie, has a habit of coming up to the farm with me, but then heading back to the house as soon as I become boring, often in time to wait for the kids to get off the bus. So last night when I got home for supper, we suddenly realized that she didn’t come home with me, and she wasn’t already home with the kids! We have had to pick her back up from the pound on occasion before, but she had been pretty good lately, so we were not pleased with the thought she had relapsed.
I was pretty sure she hadn’t been left in a barn somewhere and couldn’t get out, but I thought I’d better check just to be sure. Plus Karen was worrying about falling in the liquid manure tank or something, but I knew it was full to the top, so she could pretty much swim right out if she was in there.
The last place I checked, because it was really the least likely, was the pump out opening for the pit under the new barn. It is only about 6′ square, and the lid was up with the pit pump in.(which takes up about half of that space) Well, there was my poor pup. She had wedged herself in between the pump and the wall to hold herself “above water”. It was only about a foot down, but I guess she couldn’t quite get up that high. Why on earth she ever went close enough to end up in there we’ll never know. All I had to do was reach in and grab her collar to heave her out.(and soak myself in the process!) Talk about drowned rat syndrome! She did the whole roll, slide in the snow thing all the way home. I thought her exuberance was pretty impressive considering she had to have been in there a few hours. Karen and Jenna gave her 3 baths, and now she just smells a little! She did wear her back claws down to the quick trying to get out, so they were bleeding periodicly, and she does seem a little more subdued today, but otherwise she seems fine. Except of course for the persistant smell!!!
I used to think of her as a fairly intelligent dog, but now…
(the good news is she didn’t run away!)
Off to try and educate some 3rd graders tomorrow. They have an annual event where the different farm groups set up live displays and they bus in the kids to get a 15 min. insight into farm life. Luckily, baby pigs are always cute, so I don’t have to work too hard at keeping them entertained. I am a little hoarse by the end of the day though!
After all the rain we got Friday, the April showers bring May flowers was looking like a bonanza for the May flowers. But today we woke up to snow flurries and a bitter wind. So what do April snow flurries bring? … Anyone?
I’m thinking they bring a late spring. Where is global warming when you need it!?!
One thing that is still hard to do with a still (slightly) gimpy leg is catch those little pigs. Their pretty quick! So Jenna has been aiding me. We are getting a little behind, though. (when you Dance every night after school, the opportunities are slim) So I am trying to convice her to come Friday night before she goes to dance. Considering what we have to catch those pigs for, (If you think about it, you can probably guess what would be the worst job to help catch all those male pigs for), I have to do some serious convincing to get any help at all!
“as long as I don’t have to hold them for you!” is a demand I can live with… Until we got a hernia last time and I had to get her to hold it so I could stitch him back up.
These are the things you just never run into in the city!
Was off to the Ontario Pork Producers annual meeting in London Mon night and Tues. Politics is allways fun!! 😉 It’s good to see some of the people you only see once a year though. It is nice to be home again. The pup was the only one home when I got home, but she was reallllly glad to see me!
Will have to get some work done today!
I said I would post a picture of the old auger, but the Turkey Vultures came along. Here is a picture now, the bend is a little hard to see.
We had 4 Turkey Vultures in the field right by the house at supper time tonight. They are huge birds, (one of the largest wingspans) that are beautiful to watch as they soar. But they have this rather ugly head that looks a little like a wild turkey’s, only worse. They also only eat dead stuff (like any vulture I guess) which doesn’t make them any more endearing. But they are really cool to watch! We got a few pictures. Enjoy!
Some people may recall a little incident I had with a portable auger knocking me off the top of a feed bin almost 2 years ago. We pulled said auger out of the fencerow this afternoon, greased it up, and put the pto shaft back on. (It was converted to electric for the feed bins). It turns! (a little wobble with the bit of a bend in it, but not too bad.) The plan is to use it to get the corn out of Cousin Bob’s bin. He usually sells it and their truck just sucks it out, but if I get it from him, my truck doesn’t do that. So… reincarnation number 4 or so for this old auger. It was originally from Willowtree Farm across the road. He gave it to us when I started keeping pigs in Blackstock, cause that’s what he thought it was worth! (I did try giving it back to him after it fell over with me, but he didn’t want it!)
We will have to see just how many more rotations it can endure!
(I have to start getting some multi-media in this blog thing, so check back for a picture, and see if you can detect the “bend”)