Lyle on the Lam

Walking the escapee back home, no shackles required.

There is never a dull moment around this place, be it caused by the kids, or the animals or one of our projects. Last Wednesday was no different. The day had been spent with various chores and tasks, with a quick break in the afternoon for some hydration. As I headed back outside I surveyed the lower pastures as I always do. Wait, what is that large, red, mass, ACROSS the river? That would be Lyle, who waded the shallow spot to check out the great green yonder. Before Nate could make it down there, he was gone. Where to? Why? We are a pretty close distance to a dirt road as the crow flies, or pig lumbers. Horrible thoughts of an accident caused by hitting a 600 pound boar, spurred me to convince my dad to drive with me down the road and across the fields on the other side of the river. It took some time, and we did find Lyle's trail, just as my cell phone rang. Nate was calling to report that he could see Lyle, across the river, up the hill, in the neighbors' front yard. Great. I made a quick trek to the spot, and started to talk to my wayward hog. He looked surprised, and happy to see me, and lumbered over "talking" all the time. Luckily he followed me home, with the help of his feed bucket that Nate brought over. Lots of grunts, heavy breathing (that poor pig was tired!) and we made it home. He was put in the "detention" pen, which does not have access to the river but has plenty of shade, vegetation, and fencing! Best outcome we could have had in this instance.

Busy as a ...

Here it is June, I'm not teaching right now, and I have less time to blog! I'm hoping to be caught up by July, but not banking on it. I'll give a quick recap now, but hopefully put together a string of smaller posts, just to keep you interested!
June started with a quick trip to Rochester for a graduation party, and the boys spent a day with their Grandma and cousins so I could attend an organic market gardening workshop at the Gardens of Eagan. Jeanette and I both enjoyed it, though the amount of work can be daunting! I headed back to Rochester and picked up THREE kids, as Annalise was coming to spend some time with us while her mom had a medical procedure. Having another three year old in the house was an adjustment for all of us.
Kohen had four days of "string camp", where he spent a lot of quality time with his violin. The camp was held at the Minnesota Discovery Center, a great stop if you want to learn more about the heritage and mining of the area. We all took the trolley ride and are planning on going back soon for the mini golf.
The weekend of the 11-12 was Timberdays, Amber and the Young boys came to enjoy. Having five kids participating in the pet show meant three goats, one piglet, and one chicken got to travel to town and be paraded around. They all enjoyed it, well I know the kids did at least!
The following week brought Vacation Bible School at church, along with 125 other kids! Great time as always.
Add in a jewelry party, Farmers market meeting, Annalise's dad when he came to fetch her home, a nice summer cold, Lyle taking a walk-a-bout, and you can see why I haven't blogged much. In addition to trying to get gardens planted, animal husbandry, and house cleaning, I feel like my favorite month has blasted by. This weekend brings a family reunion for the Heiam side of my family, so my goal is for Nate and I to take some time on Sunday to enjoy the lake and family, before more hardcore farm work gets under way with the arrival of the "farm interns" next week.
(No pictures today, I can barely get enough internet connection to post this, darn weather!)

June

Really. It's June. Our weather is not attesting the fact, but the calendar is. Today was the last day of school for students at my school. I have one more day of inservice tomorrow, and then I'm free. Well, not really. Then the whirlwind of summer activities start.
The gardens are patiently waiting for some plants to grow. We had awful wind for two days, and then frost last night, so I'm not rushing it.
The summer looks to be filling up fast, but with fun activities:

• Annalise will be coming for a visit next week


• Kohen has a week of orchestra camp


• Timber Days in Cook, with the popular pet show


• Bible School


• Gardens, gardens, gardens


• Pigs, pigs, pigs


• Weddings


• Family Reunions


• Visits from Friends


• Farmers Market


• A new ram


• and plenty more.

I just am ready to develop a summer routine, but it will have to wait a bit. I am anxious to just be able to soak in the days on the farm. Nate and I both agreed that we enjoy vacations, but are perfectly happy being able to stay home with the boys and all of the animals we enjoy. We've expanded our nightly routine from cups of tea in front of a dvr'd program, to include last checks on the pigs and cows. The cattle are not scared of my headlamp anymore, they know that treats accompany it. The little pigs have grown so much they rarely use their ramp into the shed anymore, they just jump.

Kohen has his heart set on bringing a pig to the pet show. But you may not know this- little pigs have a BIG voice. They squeal, grunt, and scream when you pick them up now. Even the ones we've handled daily. I'm hoping a harness and leash will be the answer. That's on the schedule for next week: pig leash training. Never would have thunk it. Isaiah cannot decide his victim-er-entry. Yesterday it was Darla, today it was Daisy. For some reason I don't think Daisy (who has never been farther then her pastures) would do well. I can't hardly get her to move from one pasture to the next if she doesn't want to. I'm encouraging chickens, chicks, poults, lambs, baby goats... Hey, it's not like the kid doesn't have options. We are excited to share our options with Brody, Cam, and Annalise. Maybe I should get some tshirts printed for all the kids. Might make some other local kids feel left out if they don't have a matching t-shirt though.

This weekend I get to learn something new. More on that later.

Thankfully we have not lost any more sheep, though we are constantly on guard. The goats are all out in the north field now, with access to the barn at night. So far they are doing great with it. My plan is to start milking on Monday. We are all anxious for fresh, raw, goat milk.

Well, that was rambling enough wasn't it. I better go and get some housework done before my husband gets home (he took a day trip to Rochester for farm supplies) and accuses me of spending all my time on the computer.