Blind Hog and Acorn

Blind Hog and Acorn have been busy- the usual chores plus making a split from the beehive, working on the tractors, putzing about in the garden.Sam got skunked- nothing new there.

Blind Hog and Acorn have been busy farmers- fields are clipped, everything mowed and trimmed.  Let the rains begin.  Well, as long as the county road does not get washed away...Good news with the single surviving beehive- it is thriving!  Acorn will do a thorough box-by-box inspection next week.  Maybe even make a split!Has certainly been a beautiful May.  Hard to believe Solstice is just around the corner...

Blind Hog is clipping the fields, already "that time" again...  Early blast of summer temps at the farm, upper 80's!  he has the first three paddocks done, a couple more on the west side then he can do the two in the east.Acorn has been wrangling black snakes from around the geese and chickens... The snakes do love eggs...Garden is coming along nicely- strawberries ripening. Almost time to plant pole beans.  Sweet potato slips putting out lots of roots.  Those will be planted in tubs this year.  Will find out if that is a good idea or not...

Acorn was complaining about lagging internet speeds and dropped cell signal, so she and Blind Hog raided up the cell phone amplifier antenna higher on the roof- moving it to the peak as well as puttin git on a 10' mast.  Already speeds have increased from -114 dB to -102 dB and sometimes even faster!  it is the little things...Garden doing well, had its first irrigation today.  Sam has been enjoying almost daily walkies for 2.5 miles, keeps those toenails trimmed on the dirt road.Goats doing well in the woods, as are the ticks that have gotten on them- they will be dealt with here tomorrow says Acorn.Blind Hog has been keeping the yard mowed and the songbirds fed. Hummingbirds back in full force, orioles still hanging around with the rose breasted grosbeaks.  All is swell at the farm!

May get down to the upper 30's at the farm tonight- Acorn holding off to plant the tomatoes after this last cold snap.Snakey-gosling of last week only lived a couple days- figuring it might have been an infection from the snake bite.  Her brother is out with mom and dad, doing very well.Health maintenance week, some landlord property work.  Lawn needs mowing and the goats are grazing in the woods.

Gosling saved from being a black snake's lunch (much drama ensued); rhubarb pie, asparagus and lettuce feeding the farmers for lunch.The first nice morel of the Spring found- Acorn talked to some mushroom hunters and they also thought it was an off year.  Few and far between!

Rain is back and well needed- that last deluge all ran off.  Still no morels found but Acorn did see asparagus in the garden today!5 lil' honkers off to their new home, more eggs in the incubator and some still under an actual goose.  Acorn rescued an egg from a black snake, may think about bringing in the other eggs for artificial incubation if the gooses don't settle down on them.House is getting cleaned, screens up in the windows, meals on the porch.  Houseplants back outside. Now to get the rest of the garden planted!

Three goslings hatched so far, another has pipped.  Two males, one female.  They are just so stinkin' cute.Blind Hog sold all his pottery equipment, tools and materials to a newbie from northern Missouri.  She and her husband delivered Highland heifers 2 hrs from us, then swung over and we loaded them up.  Swedish Death Cleaning continues!!!Weather has been mostly nice, no more rains since the weekend and yes, the county DID come out last Sunday to repair flood damage on bridges, grading the road in a few spots, removing tree log jams from the upstream side of the bridges as well..  Amaze!Acorn sold all unneeded books in the house via Thriftbooks, the ones not sold will be donated to the library.  Thriftbooks even pays for shipping.  60 lbs of books mailed out!A very productive week on the farm- Acorn can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as cleaning out the guest house and bunk house once and for all...  Hot damn...

Finally got the rain, and as of this writing, Acorn reports 5.38" which is in the 5-7" rain in the forecast.  During the first round, Acorn noticed flapping sheet metal on the old goat barn rood- during a "window of opportunity" Blind Hog fetched the Mahindra and Acorn clambered up the roof, screwing down the loose panels.  All fixed!Between roof repairs, working in the garden, baking bread and scone Acorn managed to sit down and actually read an entire book. Imagine!Spring cleaning in full swing- master bedroom, closet and dressers got the "black contractor bag" treatment.Goslings set to hatch end of next week- so far, the seven eggs look good!

Talk about a busy week... Gardening... Kidding... Wood splitting... Blind Hog and Acorn have been busy.Goat #494 "Poe" showed up looking like she had kidded, but no kid. It took 2 more days before she showed up with the wee bairn. Yes, Acorn got more than a little teary eyed.All in all, a very good week. Could use some real rain though. Just sayin'...

Weeklong wildfires to the south of the farm- Acorn's throat is none too happy.  Smoke haze thick at times, hills looking right blue.Purple martins beginning to hang around- will need to get the gourds up soon.  Watercress spring is providing fresh greens for the geese- Acorn spotted minnows for the first time there.Blind Hog aggravated a shoulder as he cut then loaded up dead trees and limbs after the big windstorm.  Good thing Acorn baked lots of treats to keep him happy and fuel his recovery.  Sam will opt for a nap...  Acorn continues to get the garden beds ready for planting.

Fields are now mowed down- ready for the spring growth surge as Blind Hog and Miss Massey have everything brush hogged nice and level.Acorn has been milking and making skyr.  Baking the sourdough bread.Goose eggs in the incubator, others will be collected until freezing chances are over, then eggs will go back into the nest. Yay for Spring!

Wellll, Acorn has Blind Hog's sinus crud...  Started as viral, is now bacterial.  Ugh...  No rest for the midwife, and the last big rush of kidding got completed.  Just a few stragglers now to go over the next few weeks.Geese are a-laying, which is a great harbinger of Spring.  Counting the ganders, there are "six geese a laying..."Rhubarb is sending its knuckles up, starter trays being prepped for seeds.Little pig-nosed kid had to be put down; he was in pain and nothing could be done.  Come to find out his defect was most likely caused by a virus during a short window of fetal development.  Who knew???

Blind Hog has a cold...  Or the flu...  Not sure, but it ain't Covid.  Had a low temp of 100.2°F today, coughing, drainage, overall malaise...  Acorn has a scratchy throat but thinks it is elm pollen...Five nannies kidded, seven more to go.  Had a set of triplets along with a pair of twins yesterday- one of the twins having a malformed snout.  Most peculiar.  Is it a genetic issue, or teratogen issue from the toxin in poison hemlock (which is everywhere around us).  Hard to say.  If it happens again to a kid from a particular sire, my finger will point to the buck.Nice weather at least.  Bee hives had a cursory look-see.  Tomatoes finally got processed from the freezer. Yay!

Blind Hog and Acorn survived the record lows as well as the snow.  Thankfully the 12-16" threatened were just that- a threat.  4" was plenty.Barns are being prepared for the next round of kidding.  Pantry items are being replenished.  New shelf in the kitchen is installed.  Getting all the little piddly chores done...

Blind Hog helped neighbor set out hay bales  at noon while Acorn cleaned house like a whirling Dervish.  Getting all kinds of chores done before Tuesday's expected snowfall.Great Weekend Bird Count is on- Acorn spotted 14 species in 15 minutes, with appx numbers for each. LOTS of finches...Super Bowl brought sadness of the farmers...  Ahhhh well, guess there is a reason that there are no three-peats...  Acorn found solace by doing the taxes and sending them off.Sourdough madness continues.  Today was sourdough corn muffins.  Went well with the dried lima bean soup.

Another cleaning of the dairy barn, having funs with sourdoughs, getting ready for another Icy Blast of Winter.  The fun never ends...Acorn bought a 50 lb bag of hard red winter wheat to grind for flour.  Little Red Hen found that it filled 28 qt jars (she had ground up 3 qts prior).  Each jar got a sachet of "oxygen absorber" before sealing with lids and rings. Will be interesting to see how long this batch of grain will last.Hay chores need to be done today... Fill the feeders for the goats as well as add some into the goose nesting boxes.  They can begin laying soon.Kombucha is now 13 years old.  That is one good SCOBY!  Goats will eat the extra SCOBY so a win-win for everyone.

Chinese New Year, the Wood Snake. Wheeeee!  Dragon has been replaced with Snake, and so the New Year begins.Weather most temperate, Super Bowl teams set.Fodder experiment has mixed results- geese given the first tray and they gobbled it down.Sourdough discard waffles and cheesy crackers made; so far, so good.  Even made homemade chocolates for the first time- super easy!Finding the Libby and Hoopla library apps to be most handy.Jr Constable fell ill and died in about 24 hrs- wondering if it was avian flu but will never know.  He will be missed.

Blind Hog and Acorn have thawed out, round one of kidding is completed, and it actually got into the 50's...  Who knew?January Resolutions have been upheld for the first 3 weeks- amaze!  Will this be the year of better health and exercise?  Maybe, and no Covid quarantines to impose such!Acorn is tending a goat with a case of skin cancer- will treat to alleviate symptoms and discomfort, but that is all that really can be done.Is good to have a surplus of firewood, that is for sure!

Time for second winter.  Preparations made for a sub-zero front and Blind Hog and Acorn are ready to hunker in.  Livestock and pets all taken care of, now to see if "that one goat" can hold off kidding until Thursday, if she doesn't get it done today that is...Geese are set up better this year- heated water buckets in each of their pens.  Voila.  Old Bags the cat has a heated kennel pad which she greatly enjoys. Goats have two barns to choose from. And there you go...Will be a footbally kind of weekend...  Soccer as well as NFL.  Blind Hog deserves a bit of time off.  Go Chiefs!

Six inches of the white stuff has covered SteelMeadow Farm.  Is very fluffy, with just a bit of ice on the ground underneath.  Doubt it will stick around long and actually the geese and goats would prefer it go ahead and melt on off.Blind Hog and Acorn had done all the necessary prep work and even had time to fix a fence where a tree had fallen.  Never put off tomorrow what you can get done today...  How many times has that been true?

Blind Hog and Acorn about have chores done before the "winter event" arrives tonight.  Goat barns prepped, goosey hut covered and fluffed with clean pine shavings.Fingers crossed the ice stays to the north.Acorn found out who has the best prices for Rx eyeglasses (Costco).  Blind Hog is tossing some of his hard-earned firewood into the woodstove, keeping the house toasty.  He did finish smoothing the drive behind the house were the ditch washed it out.  So Nice!Will tell next week about the storm/ice/snow/rain/thunder...

Blind Hog and Acorn had a very quiet Christmas since the kiddos were doing their own visitations. Acorn cooked up a delicious rib roast with veggies underneath, baked up some Yorkshire puddings with all but leapt out of their pan.  Totally delicious.Farm chores chugging along.  Blind Hog got the drainage ditch behind the workshop cleared out- it had dammed up and was washing out the bottom turn of the driveway.  Sam got to pose on the cement plug.  He was very proud.Goats doing well, kids keeping right up with their moms. The lads are happy as long as they get goat kibble too.A trip to Crystal Bridges was on tap for Acorn's birthday.  Having all the fun seeing art!  Happy New Year from the farm!

Kidding Round One has wrapped up, just one more to go but not for a couple more weeks.  #450 finally had her twins the other evening- luckily the baby monitor picked up the kids squealing as she birthed them in radio silence.Put hay out for the first time as temps dropped in to the mid-teens again.  All the livestock and poultry are doing very well.Christmas wreaths are indeed up at last,  straw Yule Bucks scattered here and there.  Blind Hog and Acorn will have the farm to themselves for Christmas Eve- first time in over 30 years!Excited to see how the prime rib roast from the steer will be.  Centerpiece for the Christmas Eve feast, of "rare who roast beast..."

Seven kids on the ground, but we lost one due to being squashed at 4 days old by its nanny.  Is not the first time, not will it be the last.Along with kidding going on, new solar lights installed on the goat sheds, outside the old goat barn, and up at the hay barn.  With a full charge they should do just fine.  So far the goats in the old barn appreciate the evening lighting.Due to the kidding, Acorn has been keeping close to the house.  Blind Hog has about caught up on his reading and promises to start an exercise regimen "on Monday..."

Busy enough week for Blind Hog and Acorn... Oil change, appointments, errands, trip to KC and coming home with a new gander to be the mate of Miss Priss.  Blind Hog said it made Acorn sound a bit like a matchmaker...  Goosey matchmaker...First kids of the late 2024/2025 season have been born- twin doelings.  Was all of 12F when they were born. They are bouncing around and doing just fine.  The other 8 does put in early with the bucks are likewise segregated with the new momma.  Easier to keep up with goats going into labor this way.  Thank goodness for the baby monitor in the goat barns!

Blind Hog and Acorn had a delicious feast with the kiddos at the Springfield House.  The farmers had their fill, ,visited a while, then made it back to the farm at dark to do chores.Speaking of chores- the Mahidra got a new battery which called for contortions and manipulations to get the old one out and the new one in.  Acorn also got a toilet running like new and a bit of toilet functionality was learned.  Garden is now cleared of all dead plant matter, goats sleeping in both barns, ,alternating nights it seems.  No kids yet, knock wood.Next week a trip to KC is on the agenda- return items to IKEA and pick up a new gander on the way home.  Blind Hog's cardiac event monitor is chugging along- Acorn made him a fancy holder for the cell phone monitor. 

Chores getting done while the weather is nice.  Blind Hog set in a drainline to go under the drive to the hay barn.  Much needed little project there.  Acorn has been busy in the garden pulling out dead plants and mulching.Blind Hog also got his 4 week cardiac monitor applied- will see how that tracks him though now he thinks he may indeed have an "inner ear thing..."  Will find out but at least "boxes are being checked off..."  Process of elimination.Acorn sent a third "fan mail" letter off to David Attenborough.  He has actually responded in the past, however he is 98 now.Macaroni and cheese bubbling in the oven.  Almost time for the farmers to have their lunch.

Indeed, Blind Hog has made it to 83...  Lots of chocolate cake was involved.Major chores completed on the farm- both goat barns all cleaned, powdered and hay laid on the floor.  Miss Massey's distributor woes now a distant bad memory- all is peachy with her!  Driveway repaired from the last flash flood.  South roof "rescrewing" completed.Now to get into the garden and a few more piddly things

In light of an upcoming birthday, Blind Hog has spent today pretty much watching soccer...  Premier League as well as cheering on Kansas City's Women's' team, who handily beat North Carolina to advance to the semi finals.Electrical work has been completed in the old goat barn- old light fixtures replaced, a section of wire too and a switch.  Has been a good 15+ years since that was first put in.Rain finally made it to the area- BIG rain...  Washed out part of the county road and the driveway but the fescue is rejoicing. Fields might just make a bit of a comeback if hard freezes can hold off.

Big chores getting done on the farm and just "mildly" interrupted when Blind Hog had "an episode" that is still undiagnosed...  Was it an especially brutal round of A-Fib that he usually walks around with, or an inner ear thing???  Hopefully he will find out, however the whole thing kinda knocked the wind out of his sails.Good news is that the south side of the roof is finally getting attention from Acorn- only 12 more rows of screws to replace.  One of two goat barns has been raked and scooped clean.  As soon as the wind switches from the North, Acorn can use a leaf blower and push the remaining goat pebbles out.Election Day looms, goats tend not to care too much about it..

Tractor Joy turned to Tractor Woe, then back to Joy...  Acorn fixed the ignition/firing issue and the Massey Ferguson is running well.  Now if she can just figure out the house wifi...  Need to find a way to "bundle" clients and reduce the load on the router...Blind Hog has 4 cords of wood, ready to burn.  Still horribly dry, but also unusually warm.  Goats are in full breeding cycle. The bucks are happy for the work.

Acorn went to a 3 day conference up at Lincoln University, based on helping mentors in small ruminants be better educators, and during that time ol' Frank Pinkerton died peacefully in his sleep.  He will be missed.  If we all can live as long and lively till 96 as he did!Meanwhile on the farm, things are moving along as they are wont to do.  Blind Hog got the new wheels on the finish mower and even cut around behind the dairy barn!  Then the tractor slowly died out, as if out of gas.  Tank refilled, she refuses to start.  Joy joy.  Acorn has already broke down the carb and all is well with the fuel line- checking for spark next.Always something around here...

Truckload of black walnuts taken to the hulling station- Blind Hog received $86...  $12/100 lbs after hulling...Aurora once again visited the farm like it did in May- not quite so a dramatic show, but lovely nonetheless.Acorn baked hamburger buns and grilled burgers- going to a 2 day conference and Blind Hog will be left home alone.  Have to get him something to eat...

Ugh- second summer is upon the farm...  Temps in the 80's once again and drought..  Dry, dusty drought...Walnuts getting picked up from the yard- the bumper crop that keeps giving.  Prices are down to $12/100 lbs "after" the nuts have gone through the huller/dehusker machine.  Pffffff.....Goats are fine, garden winding down.  Acorn needs to plant the garlic but it is so danged warm!  Blind Hog is about over his cold he had this week, now Acorn has a bit of sore throat.  What comes around goes around...Good news is that the finish mower is hooked onto the tractor- need new back wheels/tires but fingers crossed!  So far, so good!

The farm only received 0.11" of rain from Helene- just a wee fraction of what our friends and family to the east received.Grading blade pivot has been repaired and is fancy shmancy- Miss Massey is running like a top again!Acorn has begun the arduous chore of picking up walnuts- barrels filling up in the yard.Tomorrow the goats will be sorted and put in with bucks.  Happiness there all around.

Just one week back and chores are being completed- from replacing a yard hydrant, getting the 6' blade fixed, cleaning up in the garden and snipping a fingertip- Blind Hog and Acorn have been busy!The box blade Blind Hog bought himself for a Father's Day present continues to impress.  Drives look great.  Tons of black walnuts on the ground- they will soon need picking up.  Too bad the box blade won't get those!All in all, a very good week.

Blind Hog and Acorn are back from the 10 day trip to Iceland- what an adventure it was!Waterfalls, basalt columns, crazy wind and weather, lovely people.  You can check out photos on the Blind Hog and Acorn website- just look under Menu for the Iceland trip.

Yup- September is almost here and time for the Blind Hog and Acorn to head out on an adventure...  This year?  ICELAND!Blind Hog is going along for the ride but Acorn is most excited...  Chores are gettig done, house cleaned, piddly stuffs done.  Packing was the easy part!There will probably NOT be a podcast next weekend but there will be one on the 14th.

Acorn got back from an unexpected trip to Texas, leaving Blind Hog to man the conn.  Seems like the farm did well under his watch and in Texas, ol' Frank is hanging in there- best as a 96 yr old can...Back on the farm for a week of preparations...  MOre about THAT later!

Acorn did it at last!  The Massey Ferguson tractor is running again!  The last trick was discovering the micro inline gas filter that was hidden in the 90-degree connection from fuel line to carburetor.  Voila!Farm finally got some rain after more than 3 weeks without- guess this means the grass will need mowing in a few days.Friend Judy gave us a finish mower but it needs work- another project for Acorn.  Blind Hog makes a great assist.Big Mahindra can now shed the box blade and get the backhoe put back on. Miss Massey is back in action!

Blind Hog and Acorn forgot to record the podcast yesterday, remembering once they got in bed for the night.  Pffff...  It happens.Busy week with garage door seal strip repairs, purchasing Savanna goat kids from friends, and visiting another friend at her yard sale.  ALL the socializing...Fingers crossed rain arrives tonight and tomorrow- things getting very crispy on the farm!

Acorn had to fly the coop last week when her Momma went to hospital.  Was scary for a bit, but the Queen Mum  is a fighter.  Expected full recovery!Acorn got back in time to watch a huge double-trunked walnut be removed from the yard of the Springfield house- tree trunks were separating and it was a matter of time for the two so fall.  Arborists said we did good getting it taken down before it fell on its own.Acorn will continue to ramble on about automobile insurance costs and the need for listeners to check their cell phone bills.  Fat can be trimmed!Dry spell is upon the farm.  Shrubberies are not happy. Tomatoes are coming in now, okra soon to follow.  August is here!

Yup- the new and improved chicken yard is up, complete with chicken wire reinforcement and electric strings on the top.  Soon, a single run of electric will be run on the lower outside to further deter climbing varmints. The pounding of t-posts was a breeze and stringing the fence relatively easy.  You would think they had practice...Using physics, shrubberies were removed from the Springfield house.  Yay!Blind Hog burned the brush pile, Acorn went crazy wit the push mower and various weed whacking devices.  Enough for the day!

Phew!  Talk about sweat'n!Blind Hog and Acorn got a new project put to the top of the list- seems a vixen has been responsible, at least partially, in the decreasing number of laying hens.  A new chicken yard is to be erected and while they are at it, the gate posts at the top  the drive are being replaced.  One post was done today!  Yay!New pullets purchased, at least Acorn HOPES they are pullets... She and Blind Hog had to grab them while the owner just stood and watched...Garden has been doing super good since the Maximum Security Garden has been powered up.  7.5 joules of loveliness atop and outside the 4' fencing and chicken wire barrier. Mid-July and it certainly feels like summer...  Hard to believe the days are really getting shorter.

Busy week at the farm...  Acorn fighting deer, Blind Hog on the mower...  Both farmers dealing with "natural selection" when it comes to goat kids.Sam killt a groundhog and made himself very happy.  A 13 pounder!  Blind Hog was able to retrieve "the body" before Sam tucked in.  That dog will eviscerate a groundhog and leave nothing but a pelt with paws...New battery pushmower with a bonus battery! Chest freezer replacement!Acorn got overheated out doing the garden fencing but sitting down for an hour under a fan did a world of good.  Not going to do much more today, that is for sure!Wil be interesting to see of the 7 joule fence will thwart Bambi and Faline.  Fingers crossed!

Blind Hog and Acorn have been hot hot hot- working a bit outside them coming back in.  Sam decided that he likes being an indoor dog, well- unless he is hungry and wants a baby bunny...  ugh.Garden is starting to produce the produce.  Irrigation lines running well. Plenty of grass for the goats and all the scrub and brush they can manage.Acorn still has a wonky foot, ,but hiking boots are the savior.  Nice foot stability but the price is their weight. "We see this..."

Blind Hog and Acorm welcomed Midsommar by picking blueberries at a local farm.  90 min for the two of them to fill their buckets, 13 lbs total.  Not bad for $30.Beef is what has been for lunch... NY strips and an arm roast.  All delicious.  Thank you, Calpurnia and Mr Tasty!Garden is almost completely set up again for irrigation. Acorn needs more drip tape.  Took almost 10 yrs to use up the 1000' foot roll... Of course, need about 100' is all...

Acorn is back to the farm after fun fun fun in Texas...   ALL the funs!Blind Hog figures he will soon need a white cane as he navigates the fields while afoot.  He and Sam commiserated while Acorn was partying it up.More about Blind Hog's self-purchased Father's Day present next week...They do grow bugs BIG in Texas...  the walking stick AND those wacky katydids...

Been a busy week on the farm as Acorn prepares to leave Blind Hog alone with Sam...  "Will they survive or will Acorn return to find the two just withered away???"Mechanical troubles raising their ugly heads...  Good news is that the driveway is somewhat graded, and Acorn mowed the lawn, baked and cooked, weed whacked the garden and Blind Hog got an in-service on how to text, take, and send pictures on his phone...  Google Nest instructions were kept to a minimum...  Don't want to overload him...

Damn near 5 inches in 12 hrs or less...  Needless to say that Blind Hog's most perfect driveway grading this week got washed out down to the uneven bedrock.Blind Hog and Acorn recorded the podcast en route to Sam's Club for a 225' roll of landscape fabric.  Acorn needs 6 or 8' is all...  However, that roll will last a few seasons as needed...Acorn is getting ready for a car camping trip to Texas for Frank's birthday as well as her Mum's birthday.  Joyousness all around!