Blind Hog and Acorn

Has been a week of home electronic installation as Blind Hog and Acorn received and installed the new cell phone booster kit and yes, the big test of improved signal reception is apparent- the podcast episode loaded up before this first paragraph was completed!  BOOM!  Just like that!

Besides putting up a new 6' mast for the omnidirectional antenna, mounted on the old Hughes Net dish frame, the farmers have been picking up walnuts and should be finished by today.  Hullers are payiing $20/100 lbs of "debrided walnuts" and many of the nuts being picked up have already lost the husks, so Blind Hog and Acorn are a little ahead of the game there.

Chainsaws have got new bars and chains, all good there. Ready to tackle more dead trees!  Woodstove also had a cracked pane that was replaced- all is good there.

Sam the Farm Dog was going after a skunk (yes, he was sprayed) and after his bath it was discovered he had sliced three toe pads- evidenced by bloody pawprint all over the wood floor.  NewSkin, neosporin, and a doggie boot have helped speed healing.  This morning the cuts are not gaping, red and weeping.  Sam walks a wee bit funny with the boot but has not tried to chew it off.

About time to get that last strip of yard picked clean of walnuts, then off to the huller.

Busy week on the farm- both goats barns cleaned out and dusted with lime and diatomaceous earth, dead trees cut and brought down from the upper 40 for firewood, walnuts a-plenty in the yard for picking up, goji berries in the dehydrator.  PHEW!

Blind Hog and Acorn will take Sunday afternoon off at least, football game at 3:30pm.  Good excuse to have a sit-down!

Everything else is going along well enough.  Tomatoes, okra and peppers all cooked and combined into pint jars.  Gumbo at the ready!  Just add chicken!  At least the pie is ready...

Acorn left for a fun weekend trip to Houston, only to be diverted on her way home to Fort Myers. Talk about a mess down there!  Thankfully, the house in the Trust was pretty much unscathed and the closing of the sale, scheduled on the 29th, was NOT cancelled but only postponed a week.  Buyers so happy that they could not wait.

Blind Hog met Acorn at 10pm and back to the farm they skedaddled.  Routine chores seem like bliss after the drama, stress, and mayhem from Hurricane Ian.

FarmFest weekend in Springfield, the 3-day farm trade show with free admission! After 2.5 hrs enough was seen, back to the farm for a relaxing evening.

Barns getting cleaned, bee hives to be checked. Autumn in the Ozarks, which means a yard FULL of black walnuts.  Oy!  At least the county road is FINALLY getting the attention it deserves!

Blind Hog and Acorn are slogging along, one better than the other.  Farm chores wait for no one and things just chug along.

Happily, there is light at the end of the Covid Tunnel and both have been taking walks again in the morning, not like they are totally laid out flat...

Canning up the last of the tomatoes and okra, green beans about done.  Weather remains dry, garden has about had it.

Before the farmers went on their trip, Acorn sent a letter to the UK to a certain naturalist she fancies.  Today a response was waiting in the mail!  Whooooooooo!  Needless to say, the letter will get framed. #sciencenerd

No- seriously, the week in the rockies as FABULOUS!  Blind Hog and Acorn both lost like 5-6 lbs, crazy good hiking days and wonderful lodgings.  Airports were "interesting" to say the least.  Missed one connecting flight by minutes, but truly that only set the holiday back by 4 hours- big whoop.  At least the luggage did not get lost~

Three nights on the Icefields Parkway, three nights at Glacier.  Packed it in and could easily have made it a week in each place.  Things to look forward to in the future- a return trip to the Icefields!

Blind Hog and Acorn tested for the 'Rona the day before the trip and the morning after returning.  Negative and negative.  Wednesday night Blind Hog had a hard time sleeping and Thursday he was not feeling well, chalked it up to the A-Fib but when he complained of "being cold," his temp read 99.1.  Another covid test popped positive before the solution crossed the control line!  Acorn tested positive 2 days later... We see this...  Least she does not have to wear an N-95 mask in the house all day!

So, imagine ragweedy allergy symptoms and that is how they feel.  Indeed, they truly went on holiday and brought home no souvenirs, except...  except...

10,000+ steps on Acorn's Fitbit and she has not really left the house- all that spinning around in circles!  Blind Hog did the pasture walks, refilled mineral feeders, moved the goats, tended the laying hens.

Chores winding down for the day- beans to snap and then jar up for the canner, okra to blanch and can as well.  Farmsitters will arrive in the morning, plenty of time for relaxed coffee chat before  the farmers depart.

Blind Hog felled, cut, and split a dead persimmon tree, will burn well. One good cord of wood laid by, second one started.

4.04" of rain yesterday, the county road did wash, but did not wash out so much that cars can't get through. Praise be!

What a wonderful time with The Goat Man and Brian!  Always fun to goof off and have fun with company.

Frank got to look over the goats, see how the Savanna Goat Breed-up Plan was coming along, visited with some other goaty friends, and had a lovely time.  Well, Blind Hog and Acorn had a great time...

The farmers will have a week to get things ready for their week-long absence in September...  Just around the corner!

This week the farm brought in 4 adult Spanish nannies, one who was born on the farm 5 years ago. These were the last four goats of folks who started with SteelMeadow goats and got their herd up to 40, but they have decided to focus on cattle and making hay. The goats are calm, healthy, and will make great additions.

To end the week, Acorn sold the two Flappy sisters who were not suited as commercial, range goats- these two need to be pets.  Happily, a couple from 2 hrs away needed companions for their two little goats, so the Flappy Sisters lucked out big time.

Major roof issue discovered in the workshop- going to take a bit of engineering though to figure it out. A roof purlin has rotted out but only where some screws have been loose for 15 years or is it a condensation-drainage issue? Will have to find out more when it next rains.

Speaking of rain, the farm has received over 3.5" of rain this month!  Pastures are greening up!

Old Frank and Brian are coming back tomorrow, their last visit was Thanksgiving. Fun times ahead!

The good news is that the farm received rain, bad news is that there are still a couple leaky spots on the roof but hopefully Blind Hog and Acorn are getting them figured out. A few more forays onto the sheet metal might be needed, but they will see how the next rain is handled.

Call received from folks who got goats from SteelMeadow YEARS ago, have a few they would like to sell back to the farm.  Blind Hog and Acorn will go over there later this afternoon to check them out. These people take excellent care of their livestock, so no big worries with health issues.

Other than that, rain did fall. New weather station is wonderful. Cows are enjoying the fresh grass , the goats get to go into the north 40 for their browse and Sam is getting morning walks again.

Yay!  Blind Hog got several things done this week- attic fan installed in one day, cows moved from west to east fields,  seventeen doelings sold to a single buyer, laying hen peeps purchased.  AND Acorn is most excited about the livestock ultrasound device she can use to check goats for pregnancy.   No more guessing, waiting around.

Drought continues.  Fields had a bit of reprieve but 1/2 of rain does not make up for all the excessive temperatures and dry conditions.

Next on the agenda is the "cleaning of the goat barns..."  Won't THAT be fun?