Blind Hog and Acorn

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 making a good showing.

Blind Hog gets the cataract removed from his "good eye" on Thursday- hoping for better vision!

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 herd look great.  If Acorn could just clone the 12 or so who look superb...

Tomatoes coming in splendidly, purple martins have fledged and fled,  hummingbirds drinking more than 1/2 gallon of syrup a day now.

Guinea keets growing like weeds and the first of the second batch are hatching.  Not a bad week at the farm!

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 is now brighter!

Guinea peeps have hatched from batch 1...  Six keets, but the unhatched keet that got thrown in the trash then found to still be alive is a bit slow,  not sure it it will make it.  We will see...

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 in the garden, fig tree is nigh 7-8' tall now!

Acorn resurrected the sourdough starters and last night made croissant dough, baking a batch of croissants this morning plus "pistachio pastry cream" filled pastries.  Eye-rolling good.

Sam has been catching rabbits.  Blind Hog has had a few annual MD visits, all good there. Next week he sees the cataract dude.

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.  Nannies pulled down, kids not happy.  Deworming as needed, plus supplementing with protein.  "We see this..."

Beans coming in, still waiting on the first ripe tomato.  Have 35 guinea eggs incubating now thanks to neighbor Colleen...

Going to be hot and humid through the end of the month.  It is summer, after all...

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 shredded zucchini.  Delicious. 

Blind Hog is mowing around the barns and paths.  Hot and humid at the farm...  Blehhhh.

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 Acorn.  Will be a big help next year with goose eggs.

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 have zucchini kraut as an ingredient, but he ill like them.

The rolling pegboard tool rack is perfect- used a cheap WalMart garment rack, Blind Hog made the :catch all box" at the bottom, and two sheets of 4x4' pegboard sandwich the rack.  PERFECT!  Just wait till all the little hand tool are on there!  No more digging for this and that!

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 bike!

Solstice is tomorrow.  The year is flying by...

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.  Now to wait 12-15 months...

Goats are doing their thing, Lil Honker got sold and will have his own little goosey girlfriend.  Can't beat that!

Garden is really growing- need to mow the paths weekly and if Acorn does not, she pays for it with knee high grass.

Ain't farming fun???