My Memorial Day weekend

Even on a little farm like ours, we still have work to do on holidays. So while we were both off from our "paying" jobs, we worked hard this weekend catching up on a variety of projects. We set up a pen for our new pigs and will pick them up tomorrow. We also devised a watering system for the pigs based on what we learned about pigs and water from our last batch. Namely that they will tip any watering device to make mud puddles that are quickly turned into wallows. And if they can't tip it, they will crawl inside and splash around in the water (using an old bathtub is a bad idea!). So this time, we rigged up a nipple waterer like they use in commercial hog operations. We'll see how that goes... Pictures of the pigs and their fancy new waterer coming soon.

We also prepared the beds and set out nearly 300 hot pepper plants. We are hoping to sell the peppers at the produce auction later this summer. We started all sorts of fun varieties from "sweet spot" to "chocolate habanero." Note to self: 300 peppers is a lot of work, especially when it is 90-some degrees with 90% humidity. BUT, the good news is we're done. We also planted the gourds for wedding decorations and added some zinnias and sunflowers to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to our peppers. The only thing left to plant is the sweet potatoes. The seed potates I started have sprouted, so we should be able to get the slips transplanted soon. I also received my perennial grab bag from Brecks, so I have some more flowers to plant now. That's not work though, it is soothing to dig in the dirt. Oh, yeah there is one more thing. Brian's going to put out some buckwheat in the produce patch to lure in more bees and beneficials. It is a beautiful summer crop, so no complaints from me! And that garden could really use the organic matter; right now it is very rocky, such a difference from the garden here at the house.

A trip to the farm we rent showed the no-till corn Brian planted a few days back is sprouting pretty well and the barley is a week or two from being ready to combine. We are really looking forward to having our own grain and straw this year, one more step on the path to self-sufficiency.

Brian in the barley.

 This is the antique combine we're going to try to use to harvest the barley. I have a feeling it's a good thing Brian and his uncle are handy... 

And, of course, I took more pictures of flowers. This time it's the bloom of the catalpa tree. If you have never seen this tree it is hard to comprehend how amazing they are. First of all, they get really tall. Then there is the bloom...it's beautiful, like an iris almost, and there are thousands of them blanketing the trees like snow hanging on evergreens in the winter. And last, but not least, there is the heady perfume that is sweet at first but becomes nearly overpowering if you spend much time around the tree. As if that weren't enough, the seed pods that form later are nearly a foot long and curly. Except for the fact that the fallen pods freak me out when I'm walking in the pasture because I keep thinking they are snakes, this is an amazing tree.