Tree Swing

It has been a dream of mine to live where we could have a swing hanging from a tree in our yard.  Here it is!  I love it!  

Creating our own mulch.

Clearing and prepping land is quite the chore!  We took down a few trees out back earlier, now we are working to clear some of the trees from the front of the lot.  It seems like the trees went from being upside down brooms on long handles to a forrest with a thick canopy over night.   Since we have to have sunlight to grow stuff and we needed a little more room, out came the chainsaw.  Sadly we also discovered that a few of our larger trees were dead so they had to come down along with the rest.  Today my job is to help drag limbs to the chipper.  I got the easy part.

   Who knew a deer stand would double nicely as a tree climber for getting the rope where it needed to be?

I never thought to move my car before the driveway was blocked.  Glad it didn't stay that way long.

Appropriate attire is advised

So this is part of the gig.  Twice a day these guys need food and water.   When they see you coming, they press their snouts up to the gate or start barking and snorting and running around randomly - usually bumping into each other.  It is really kind of funny.  

Yesterday morning I was in a hurry and had forgotten to feed them before I got dressed to leave the house.  I decided to chance it and feed them without going back in to change clothes.  Turns out there were new roots they had dug up that made for tripping hazards.  They had also created slippery mud by knocking over their water.  So as you can imagine, my decision was a bad one.   Don't try to feed pigs in your heels no matter how careful you plan to be.

Our little piglets are now over 100 lbs. each.   They've way more than doubled their size in just 2 months.  Some days I feel like I gain weight as fast as the pigs!

Holy Hothouse

So our latest project is underway.  We are going to call it our Holy Hothouse.  Why?  Because the pieces of glass going in the green house are windows that were replaced at our church offices.  I know, kind of a stretch, but that is what we (well at least I am) are going to call it.


Speaking of church, can I tell you we have such an amazing church family?  I know this blog is not about church, but today I am thinking about how much our life has been impacted by the people we love and do life with.  If you don't have a church family, find one and get involved.  Your life will not be the same.  


Anyway, back to the windows....  Why throw something in a dumpster when it can be re-purposed?

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It helps to be married to a general contractor who is also an artist if you decide to do something like this.  Like the raised beds, the design, engineering and construction was (is) all done by my amazing husband.  

Guess who got out?

Kind of a shocker to come home and find loose pigs in your yard.  Thankfully they were happy to follow their food wagon back into their pen.  We will take extra care to make sure we latch the gate in the future!  Another lesson learned.

The results are in!

So this is what a soil report looks like. This one is for the soil in the area where we plan to plant corn, watermelon and pole beans.  Looks like we've got some work to do to get the soil in top condition.

But before we do that, we first have to clear the area.  We started yesterday by cutting down a few trees that were blocking the sun.  I know it is frowned upon to cut down trees, but in this case, it is necessary in order to grow something we can eat.  

....and hopefully we'll avoid seeing any more of these!

Swine in the suburbs?

Back yard pigs.  Really?  Yes, really.  They've come with a few lessons.   Lesson one.  Containment is key.  Before you transfer pigs from their crate to their pen, make certain the electric fence is actually working.  Lesson two.   Need for speed. When you chase pigs, consider wearing shoes you can run in.  They are a lot faster than they look and believe it or not, they can also switch the direction they are running in on a dime.   Lesson three.  Artful luring techniques don't come naturally under pressure.  Pigs will come to food, but you have to get them to see it first.    Shaking a bucket with corn while yelling here piggy doesn't necessarily attract pigs that are on the loose.  Lesson four.  Never say never.  Early morning pig emergencies can cause you to do things you never thought you'd do - like go to Tractor Supply with your hair dripping wet and maybe your house slippers in a frantic attempt to figure out how to capture them. 


The idea of raising pigs that would grow up to be our food was not exactly on my hurry up and do list.  The idea of clean food was very appealing, but my worry was the pigs would become pets and then I would have to become a vegetarian.  I guess "was" is premature - we are still in the growing process.  This is how its gone so far...


We started by researching what was needed to raise pigs.  I had a ton of questions.  Could it be done in a small space?  What damage would they do to the area where they were kept? Would they smell?  Would they be noisy? How much would it cost to feed them?  How many pigs do you need to feed a family?   How would they actually get from back yard to dinner plate?  


It turns out pigs can be raised in a relatively small space.  Ours are in our back yard which is wooded.  They are contained by an electric fence and the size of their space is approximately 40' x 45'.   They are relatively quiet and while they do put off an odor, it isn't too strong.  Not much more than the odor of a dog.  They are not too expensive to feed.  They go through about a bag of feed a week in addition to our left overs.  (Confession:  I don't really cook that much so they don't get many leftovers.) I think we spoil ours.  We buy them their favorite pig feed.   Bet you didn't know they were discerning enough to have a favorite, did you?  They LOVE leftovers!  (Except for bananas and onions.  You could say our pigs are somewhat finicky.)  Also, it has been great to have the pigs eat and root up the underbrush in the woods.  We have to work hard to clear it and the pigs do it for free!  That said, if you are thinking of raising pigs in your back yard and you have a lawn you might want to give this some thought.  Oh and hey, did you know pigs bark?  That was news to me. When we go out to feed them they start jumping around and barking and running into each other.  It is so funny!  They make that snorting sound when they are eating.  I'm still amused every time I hear it. 


As to the emotional issues, I will let you know.  I can see them from my bedroom window and they are fun to watch.  My husband does almost all of the feeding. He likes to do it and I'm afraid of getting attached.  It actually may be too late for that.  We named them Pork and Chop so that I would constantly be reminded that we are raising them to be food.  When they've reached the size we want them to be, they will be taken to a processor.  My husband is planning on adding new little pigs when these are getting close to becoming food.  I hope I can handle it.