Some people come home and take a nap at lunch; I split kindling and load up the wood rack. We are not the same.
Have you ever heard the country song Don’t blink? I think I live that song daily. Just look at this year. It’s November already! Where goes the days? Where goes the years? It all moves so quickly. My four-legged companions are growing old on me. I am growing old and for some reason, my grandmother‘s face keeps reflecting back in the mirror at me.
Unfortunately, here in Ohio it’s time to start burning wood. It’s cold out there! 38° I believe was the high today with a cold rain. So, on my lunch break, I spent part of it splitting up kindling, gathering up the dried stems from the Jerusalem artichoke plants and having them ready at hand. When I got home tonight around 4:30 it was 59° in my house. Having the dried stems and split kindling made it easy to get a fire started before I went out to feed. The house was warming nicely when I got back in almost an hour later and it was one less chore I needed to worry about.
Speaking of the Jerusalem artichoke, that plant is amazing! I started it maybe three years ago with just a few roots and I now have an area that is every bit of 10 feet long and 5 feet wide. I harvest the roots periodically for the pigs and every little bit of root that is left sprouts into a new plant. I transplanted some of the roots into the chicken yard, so I hope to have more of this wonderful, sustainable food option growing next year. The bees love the flowers too. In a grid down situation it will serve as a food source for me too but right now I’m utilizing it for the critters.
Mila should be having her piglets within the next week or so. I hope they survive. It was not my intention to have late fall piglets, but her and the boar had other plans. In the spring, she only had a single piglet, and it passed. I’m worried about these cold nights, but she has a good shelter with plenty of straw. So, I must leave such things in the hands of the Lord to decide as I’ve done my part.
Peppa, my little Idaho Pasture Pig (IDP) is an absolute hoot. She runs around and plays like a puppy, knows her name, and is generally into everything. I am fast falling in love with this breed. I have no complaints about the pigs. The American guinea hog has served me well. If it wasn’t for the long months of getting it to market weight, I would not even think about adding another breed. As I work to make the farm more profitable, however I need to look at pasture-based livestock I can sustainably produce. Next year will be a lot of work on the pasture, I need to get the cleared ground seeded with a good pasture mix. The drought of the summer kept me from doing it this year, so in the spring is it imperative that I get seed in the ground. I’ve also decided I will definitely be wasting more hay this year. I’m going to be rolling some of the round bales out to cover more ground and to help with seeding.
The winter has not yet begun, and my brain is already churning with thoughts and plans for 2026. My demons and I have “conference calls” each night. Around 2AM is normally the time we get together to hash out past mistakes, current events, and future plans. Sometimes our meetings will be only a few minutes and occasionally they take hours. Sometimes we figure things out, but many times we agreed to table our concerns for future meetings. This is often the times that I add to my list of things to do or stress about, projects to start and for some reason seldom scratching anything off the list.
As I lay here tonight, I listen to the rain hitting the metal roof, my little buddy is cuddled up tight against me, and sleep is calling my name. I remember how very blessed I am to live this life and I hope each of you remember to count your blessings as well.
So, until we meet again, be thankful, be blessed, and be a blessing.