Farm Things

So, what farm things are going on? Well, we had a killing frost or two this week. We harvested the last mess of green beans (well, these were actually dragon's tongue beans which aren't green colored, but eaten at the immature green stage) and the first mess of parsnips. Why aren't more parsnips eaten?

The pig continues to grow. I can no longer estimate his weight. I was on my way out the other morning to feed him when I heard a disturbance -- bwaaaahk! A disturbed chicken sound but not a death grip panic, a sound they may make just from having a rooster mount them. Or for some other reason. I looked toward the noise, which was toward the pig pen, and saw a cat. My first thought was Hercules was getting awfully big. So I looked again. It was a BIG cat, a bob cat. Wow. I'd never ever seen one before. It must have weighed 40 pounds, that would be my estimate, and it looked straight at me and kept looking at me. Didn't seem to be scared although husband said that was just an act. He stayed there even as I moved and he only turned when eye contact was broken for a second. He didn't run, only moved off. The short tail, the tufted ears, all. Incredible. And all in the course of a morning of chores on the farm.

Today the wind was crazy. The tarp on the milking shelter was off before the morning milking but it calmed enough this afternoon to put it back up. Lots of broken branches, at least one over the fence. But today was also very warm, unlike the last little bit. We finally cleaned the flues on Saturday. I know why we never clean the flues in June -- because who wants to do it? It is not a pleasant thing, from climbing on the roof to dealing with the soot, and who in their right mind would do it until they actually wanted to get warm right then with a fire? But the fire is so pleasant, and cooking on the stove again, and the hot water always waiting whenever you might want tea. And then comes a few days warm enough to do without a fire, and that is exceedingly pleasant too.

What a good life it is.