December 21, 2022 - Day 24

It's Winter! 

To celebrate the first day of winter, everyone went crazy preparing for the Severe Winter Storm due to arrive here Thursday evening. I made a trip to Freddy's just to drive through the Jam-Packed parking lot. I figured that if there were that many cars in the parking lot, the store had to be packed!

So the next best thing was to go to Walgreens. I just needed a couple of items from the pharmacy area anyway. I didn't need to be around so many people! My big mistake was to try to go anywhere in the late morning. The only reason I did that was so that I wouldn't be lazing around the house until my appointment with the chiropractor at 1245. 

After I did my running around I arrived back home by 1:30 and continued to be lazy. My motivation level was very low and I was feeling a little down I guess. I think all this holiday stuff is kind of getting to me. Part of me just wants Christmas to be done and over with. Just need to get through the new year and then I can really get back to business as usual. 

As it is right now, it is cold out! With the Severe Weather storm coming our way, things are a bit on the crazy side. Prepping for a day of icy weather on top of Christmas coming this weekend. Oh yeah, that sounds like fun! I'm just happy that I don't need to go anywhere again after my gift exchange with my besties on Thursday. Plus Tom will be home on Friday for the holiday. 

So, I'm waiting for life to move on so I can get back to my real purpose on the farm. Right now I'm thinking of piglets! I am 99.9% sure that Big Momma Fiona is preggers!

I should post daily photos to see a progression as we move into the new year and beyond. My hope is that she and Rex got the deed done within the last month. She was in heat when they first were put together in their space, So I'm hoping that Rex did his thing. This will be the first time in the last couple of years that we have actually taken a part in planning when to breed the sows. Big Momma & Big Daddy offspring are suitable as breeding stock, so I wanted to get her bred first. Big Daddy & Little Momma piglets are generally for feeders. I don't believe that anyone has purchased any of Bridgee's babies for breeding purposes. Anyway, I was thinking of switching out Fiona and Bridgette after this weekend, but I'm going to observe them for the next week and make wait until the New Year to make the switch-a-roo.

Week Ending January 7, 2022

PHOTO OF THE WEEK...

This is the face of our boar - Rex. This was during my time outside getting food ready for the pigs. Getting their food ready is a process because it's more than just getting the food (hog feed & alfalfa pellets) soaking in a bucket. I have to go around to the separate areas to retrieve their bowls and clean them. The most challenging area would where the six girls are confined - the garden. Because of all of the rain the garden is basically a giant mud pit. It's awful! The girls have a raised area where they can sleep and hang out during the day, but that's a story for a different day. 

So Rex is just a gentle giant. He is very patient (as far as pigs go) and will stand underneath the canopy without moving until his food is ready to be put down. He's a big boy, but we have been keeping him separated from the girls so he has the opportunity to walk around more than if he were confined. When he was confined he was happy to just sleep the day away in their house from the time breakfast is over until dinner is served. He was getting to be overly chunky. These days he spends some time grazing and walking around the property before settling down for an afternoon nap. 

It's a pretty good life for this big boy!