Eureka! The Great Pig Experiment!

Friday, Thelma and Louise went to the butcher.  Getting them into the trucks was interesting. Lucas (friend) said, “Oh, just don’t feed them the night before and they’ll go right up the ramp to get food in the truck.”  Hm…well, it didn’t exactly work out that way.  They had no interest in going up the ramp into the truck, even for milk and eggs and green beans with their pig ration.  Luckily, Lucas brought his “pig box” and we did convince Thelma to get in there, though she stopped 3/4 of the way, and he had to give her a push to get her to go the rest of the way.  Louise finally went partway up the ramp, and he shoved her the rest of the way. Once in the truck, she had a ball eating all the treats.  We lifted the pig box into Lucas’ truck, so it turned out to be a small caravan (two trucks) to Claremont, where Boz (Ron LaClair) did his magic slaughter/butcher/cut and wrap thing.  I picked them up today, took the hams and bacon to Green Mountain Smokehouse, and brought the rest home.  We had pork chops for dinner…scrumptious.  Perhaps not quite as tender as I’d like, but we can modify our cooking routine.  Very tasty, however.   I can say without reservation that the pig experiment was a success!  I  miss the girls but take comfort in knowing they had a wonderful life, and I didn’t buy pork from pigs who never saw the sun or ate a blade of grass, or had the opportunity to cavort around in the woods with a friend.   Rationalizing, I would guess, BUT it is true, nevertheless.

It has been such a full and busy summer that I’ve not had the time or energy to work on this here blog!  Sorry!  Grands were here a week. We were away a week in N.C. for the Jacob Sheep Breeders Association Annual General Meeting, which was a lot of driving but a great day of seeing old friends, meeting new ones, talking sheep.  And, of course, whenever there’s company or an away time, the chores mount up, so we get home and work like crazy to catch up, which is what I’m doing this week.

Knitting-wise, I’m still working on my Irish Aran sweater, though I have front, back and l-1/2 sleeves done.  Hopefully, I’ll finish it soon. I’m also working on a poncho out of the jacob yarn I’ve had made up.  Sometime this week I need to send some of that yarn to a friend whose fleece it actually was made from.  It was very expensive to have done, but I love it.  And I’ve been working on two different shawls, one with lace weight yarn, one with a little heavier yarn, actually, sock yarn.  I don’t have photos yet, but maybe when I’m a little farther along.

The pastures are getting pretty depleted and I’ve been searching the perimeter of the woods for good stuff for the sheep to eat. It’s that time of year, where a good stand of raspberry or blackberry bushes is good for them, strengthens their reproductive system and helps them get ready for breeding.  The first lot of hay came today: now there are 150 bales in the shed.  Before we’re finished, there will be at least 500.  Now, I have to decide who gets sold, who gets culled, who gets bred.  I study the lists for about a month before I actually make up my mind!

Today, I weeded the front garden, which yielded an overflowing wheel barrow full of weeds, which John took into the woods to our compost pile.  I also mowed about an acre, switched the little boy sheep to a new pasture, did the butcher/smokehouse run, went to the bank and the supermarket to get the proper spices for Italian sausage, which I’ll make in the morning, and then put a few pots of tomato sauce with sausage on to simmer all day.  It’s been a good day.  Hope you all have the great weather we’re having: 70 and clear and not humid at all. Yesterday it was only 60!  Hooray!  I hate heat, another reason for not doing much in the summer: heat turns me antisocial, and energy-less.  With the cooler weather, I am a much nicer person.

Don’t forget the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival at Champlain Valley Expo on Sept. 8th and 9th.  I have to get my sheep vetted, for I’ll be bringing some.  I am in charge of the animal barn so, if you go, please stop by and see me.  I’ll undoubtedly be in with my spotted sheep!  I’ll be there that weekend, and the following, I’ll be at the Tunbridge World’s Fair, another interesting weekend!  I’ll only be there the Thursday and Sunday, spinning and talking sheep with all comers.  Should be fun.