Rolling in to November...

Really, November?  Crazy.  I admit that I have been neglecting the blog, but will make an attempt to update more often. 
Things have been busy.  We finished off the summer with Farmers Market and lots of get togethers.  The Cook Area Farmers Market had a great year.  We all had a fun time while making sales too. 

GARDEN: We had a very good growing year.  The "new" front garden produced an abundance of produce that filled our bellies, freezer, jars, and plenty of shopping bags.



RED WATTLES: Gwennie, the red wattle sow, had a litter of 9 babies in the middle of September, sealing our commitment to selling meat at farmers market next year.  She's getting ready to wean the piglets in the next week or so, and then she'll have another visit from Lyle, the red wattle boar.  Unfortunately Lyle is now over three years old and over 800 pounds, meaning he will soon be sausage.  We will use him to breed Gwennie this month and then reassess our breeding program next Spring.  There are a few nice looking gilts (girls) in this batch of piglets, so I may hold them back for breeders and then buy a red wattle boar in the spring.  Lots of months before a decision has to be made. 

Isaiah giving Gwennie a bath.

SHETLAND SHEEP/LAMB: We had a good year of lamb sales, 12 ram lambs were butchered last month, and all but two have already been sold.  There is getting to be more and more interest in locally grown meat, which is a good thing! My plan is to put Hero in with his breeding group this coming week.  Jameson will be getting the six ewe lambs this season. They have all been getting high quality hay and lots of pumpkin in addition to the remaining pasture for the last two weeks, gearing up for breeding season. 
HIGHLANDS: The cattle are doing well, they are mostly Nate's domain at this time of the year.  We've been feeding hay for the last month. 
GOATS: We ended up with only one goat kidding this year, which meant I was only milking one goat, and a first freshener at that (first time she kidded/milked.) This lead to lots of work for not a lot of milk.  I just quit milking last week.  Nora, and Brie are currently residing with the cows, and with the boer buck we picked up from some friends. Billy Boy (or stinky Billy) as the boys call him, has hopefully done his job and I will have baby goats in the end of February.  Pippa will be heading to the pasture next door this week to have a date with him too.
POULTRY: We have been having some rough luck with the chickens and turkeys this summer.  The fox has become expert at picking off chickens, and it seems like he only gets the hens!  Our last batch of baby turkeys made it to three weeks, and then they all died within 48 hours.  We aren't sure what caused this, since they were in a jug in the barn with their momma hen having access to come and go at will.  We had also raised 15 guineas to 5 weeks old, before the fox decided they were tasty too.  It looks like we wll be paring down for the winter.  I have a few roosters that we hatched out this spring still to cull, so we will head into winter with about 15 chickens, 5 turkeys, and some of the magpie ducks.  Their numbers will be determined by what we can winter comfortably in the extra coop. 
CATS: The cat count currently stands at 5 (though Nate swears he has seen a stray around as well.)  We have Hank, TwoThree, Angel, and Curious living outside, with Purry being in/out as she pleases.  They have plenty of warm spots, along with a supply of food in the woodshed. 

BOYS: Last but not least, my boyos are growing.  Isaiah will be 5 in three days!! Koe will be 8 in just over a month.  They have had a busy summer and fall as well.  One of their favorite summer activities was taking the paddle boat on the river.  They knew their boundaries and spent some time fishing and having fun with friends.  Their interests now lean toward legos, video games, and more legos.  Last weekend we had a halloween party, with 50 kids in attendance.  Add in the adults and it was a busy house!  Food, games, and a hay ride made for lots of memories!