Blind Hog and Acorn

The December mini-summer" has come and gone.  Highs in the 60's with freezing mornings right around the corner.  Was nice while it lasted!Blind Hog now has the "sinus crud" and both he and Acorn are leaving a trail of tissues...  Well, Acorn prefers bandanas over tissues..  NeilMed squeezy bottle sinus rinsers have save the day.  Costco special.  Muy bueno!Little goats have been worked over, looking good.  Garden has been mulched, more tulips planted.  Acorn tried out the sourdough English muffins- perfect result.  Also whipped up some cinnamon rolls- two dozen in the freezer, unbaked.  Had to bake up eight though to give them a test.Blind Hog says he cannot judge the batch with just one small bun...

Ugh...  Acorn is not hitting on all 8 cylinders and the podcast was thusly abbreviated.  Blind Hog and Acorn still put in a bit of time doing fun projects, like the dog portrait commission from Ol' Frank.Next week should be better, fingers crossed...

Lovely Thanksgiving at the kiddos in Springfield, and Acorn did manage to get in a little cooking.  Black Friday shopping amounted to going to Tractor Supply for a 5 gallon bucket of hydraulic fluid for the Mahindra...Besides football, cooking, eating, and working on a painting- has been a nice quiet at the farm.  Blind Hog and Acorn will try to have something more exciting to discuss next week!

Goats barns are cleaned!  Goose pens revamped! All the busy work chores getting done at last and have to say, the weather has been most cooperative.Blind Hog's visit to the eye doctor allowed Acorn to listen in on local conversation. Talk about face palm... Oy!The farmers got a new tv- just in time for Monday Night's Super Bowl rematch.Kiddos are hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  Will be a great time.Until next week!

Acorn is back from a 3 nighter in Texas, fun fun!  Back home to the farm in time for Blind Hog's birthday!  Huzzah!!!  All the partying!Just a few odds and ends to tend to on the farm- miscellaneous things to get done here and there but nothing drastic.Acorn is planning for an improved winter exercise program which necessitated the need for a 43" tv to hang in front of the treadmill.  Will that be a big enough carrot on a stick to get the farmers exercising?Besides setting record lows and highs in a matter of 2 weeks, all is swell at Steelmeadow.

Is 15F cold enough?  How about 14F?  Hard freeze came through but the next several days will warm up and be more seasonal.  Broke record lows though, after the summer of record heat.Blind Hog and Acorn had an interesting week.  Acorn has been cooking and baking- has to do this before she takes off for a weekend in Houston.  Sammers and Blind Hog will manage just fine.

Preparations on the farm done for the killing freeze coming up.  Houseplants moved, garden all tucked in.Blind Hog and Acorn talk about their Stockholm adventures, plus a day in the country with Cousin Lena who lives in Vasteras.  Lovely time.This long episode will wrap up the trip series...  Back to boring old farm things...https://photos.app.goo.gl/gutdszbiNjW4kYMk6 for pictures...

A good week of productivity on the farm, getting the garden prepared for winter.  Raised beds are all turned over, compost added.  permeable covers will be laid atop them...  Nighty night!Blind Hog and Acorn tell about Stop Number 2 of their European Vacation. COPENHAGEN!

Blind Hog and Acorn try to compress four days in Amsterdam into a single podcast.  Too much to talk about, but they gave a good highlight reel...Here is the link for the pictures, in case you don't have it already:https://photos.app.goo.gl/aZY6tRkY6ptC8nis7

After  eleven days away from the farm, were Blind Hog and Acorn even missed?  Sam had farmsitter, goats and poultry on auto-pilot pretty much...ANYWAY, there is just too much to cover in one or two more podcasts so Acorn wants to break things down into three "travel episodes" to rehash all the fun travel details. The Truth will Out!  Ha!Was 34F this morning so the first wood stove firing occurred.  Got it right toasty in no time.  Blind Hog and Acorn attended FarmFest today and Acorn got her ass right chapped...  Next episode?  Amsterdam!

Bucklings to the sale barn, house cleaned, yard mowed, animals all set with farm sitter- sounds like a great time for Blind Hog and Acorn to head to EUROPE!Check out the Blind Hog and Acorn Facebook page for pictures and updates.https://www.facebook.com/blindhogandacornThere will not be a podcast 10/3- unless Acorn figures something clever to do...  Otherwise, you will hear all about the adventures on 10/8!

After last week's podcast Acorn realized that old Lulu the cow was not doing well, so she eased Lulu out of her mortal coil and Blind Hog carried the 17 yr old cow up to the north 40.  Sadness, but how many cows live that long and have such a good life?  Not many I bet!Cleaning up in the garden, clipping down the fields in preparation for fall fescue growth...  If the rains will fall...  Geese actually made it through the dog door and were all on the screen porch!  Yes, it got a little messy...All in all, a bittersweet yet productive week capped off with a trip to the art museum.  Annie Leibovitz preview did not disappoint!

Blind Hog and Acorn got up WAY before the crack of dawn and drove to Jeff City to attend a Parasite Management in Small Ruminants seminar, hosted by Lincoln University. Acorn thought, "might as well- it is free" and danged if she did not learn something new.After lectures and hands-on with sheeps (checking the color of their eyelids) it was time to have fun with manure pellets and microscopes!  The program  host made sure we all were instructed to "wash your hands when you are done with the microscopes and before you eat..."  LOL...Flu shots received for 2023... Knocked Acorn on her ass for a couple days but she rebounded  strongly. Sadly, fixing the Massey Ferguson is still out of her grasp.  Blind Hog has been clipping the fields and paddocks with the big Baby Elephant (the Mahindra 55)...  Hey, it works just fine but does leave quite the footprint in the fields.

Ugh!  So frustrating.  Good news is that the '61 MF 35 has a new distributor cap, rotor, points, condenser, coil, and negative battery terminal wire and clamp.  It ran like a top for 45 min after Fred worked on it for 2 hrs, now it is acting up again... Either a:  governor rod/linkage or b: still something in the fuel line/carburetor...Much back and forthing on the tractor, Easter egging parts.  Blind Hog did get the driveway graded at least after Fred did his magic, but 45 min into the job the issues of choking down and acting fuel starved came up again.  Possible burnt valve? Who knows?!UGH!  On the bright side? Wasn't that big moon wonderful!Weed trimming has been getting done around the house and in the garden.  Chicken coop all cleaned out. Everything else doing fine EXCEPT for that darn tractor.  New ones are like and easy 20K...Will see next week if the problem has been resolved one way or another...

Ragweed, humidity and a return from Texas.  other than that, not much else shakin' at the farm.Massey Ferguson still being worked on, but the list of problem-causing items is being diminished.Old Frank was in fine shape for Acorn's visit, was good to see hi and meet the other family.Sam got skunked, so what else is new?  Chickens were having some discussion in the  middle of the yard and would not divulge the topic of the impromptu meeting...

Acorn is taking off Friday morning for a weekend visiting The Goat Man, ol' Frank, in San Marcos TX.  Therefore, Blind Hog and Sam will be left to man the conn in her absence.This week has been full of old tractor mechanic funs, problem is getting closer to being solved but not quite there yet...Blind Hog will find himself with plenty of baked treats to ease his woes...  Cookies, cake, brownies, cornbread...  Heat returns after a few days of "Fall Preview" weather...  Mornings in the 50's... Lovely...

Another couple bands of possibly severe storms headed to SteelMeadow- has been pleasantly rainy, but oh!  That humidity!Miss Massey the Tractor is acting up, goats are moved from  west to west fields, gooses continue their yard patrol and hummingbirds are sucking down syrup like crazy.Tomatoes appreciated being staked up, all good with them.Junior Constable Mouser is growing like a weed...

THREE trees down in one week (as far as Blind Hog and Acorn know) and much firewood will be the result from two of them- the latest tree to fall was a sycamore and it is not much punkin' for burning...July ended with 6.5" of rain so small wonder the trees were "loose in the ground..."Goats are happy, geese are happy, Junior Constable Mouser has Sam and Inky as BFFs... Poor Boots has been missing now for 2 weeks. Acorn is thinking a snake bit him.Will the humidity lift?  We can only hope!

Has been a good 10 years since the farm has witnessed such a long heatwave, and it isn't even August yet...  Good thing Savanna goats are heat tolerant!The honey extraction worked well- about 7 gallons of dark amber spring honey.  Deeeeelicious!Acorn is selling camera equipment so she can get a new camera that fits in a pocket instead of an albatross around the neck...  Blind Hog has been catching up on reading.All good at SteelMeadow Farm, least there are no pressing issues at the moment!

After lovely morning walkies, Blind Hog and Acorn set to doing chores.  Acorn needed to check the bees, first time in MONTHS... That culminated in robbing a completely full honey super (with 2 more yet to rob) netting 17 pints of honey and that does not included the honey tied in with the cappings!Much needed rain was received, pastures are taking a deep breath.Time for Acorn to put up her feet- has been a day!

Triple digit highs next week?  Not looking forward to it!Blind Hog and Acorn had a grand time with company- Dave, our former neighbor.  Had a fun-filled few days and even managed a trip to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.Acorn DID get the littlest kids dosed with dewormer- tapeworms have shown up again.  Only kids get them, not so much with adult goats.Will Blind Hog spend a few hours next week in the workshop, getting it straightened out?  Only time will tell!

Drought continues however there have been some bright sorts the past week- goats got sold, goats got moved, and everyone seems hunky dory....  Well, except for the garden which is forlorn for lack of plantings this year.NEXT YEAR the garden will be lovely- Acorn promises.  Already planning to heavily compost then cover the raised beds, make it all extra good for next spring.Just watching the clouds go by... No rain on the farm in a while...

Blind Hog and Acorn have another feline in the pig barn/ chicken coop... A little blonde kitten that is probably male...  Maybe...  Sgt's Inky and Boots can show him the ropes.Selling goats during a low price slump, waiting for rain, and going on a diet of all things.  Talk about a variety of woes!Acorn does love a good breakfast though...  Arroz con pollo, beans, tortilla, fruit... Put that fried egg on top and all is right with the world!

Midsommar already- Blind Hog and Acorn took a second bunch of goats to market this morning, filing in behind all the Amish who were having contract haulers bring in their sheep- 3,000 head consigned already.Is a bit toasty at the farm, but heat cannot be compared to Texas' heatwave- that is for sure!AC fun in Springfield...  What will the final bid be???

Acorn has a set of 15 goats for sale, buyer to come up tomorrow- maybe Monday.  Will allow the farm to keep more of the 50% Savanna doelings for the great "breed up" program...Got some rain, fields doing ok enough.  Geese have been given full use of the yard, not like they weren't doing it already...Acorn is going to drop a few pounds... Fun fun there... Blind Hog needs all the calories he can get...  Sam cut a toe going after a skunk, but he got the skunk so he counts it as a win.  He doesn't smell bad enough to warrant a bath.

As work on the Springfield House comes to a close, Blind Hog and Acorn can focus their attention to the farm.  Two trips to different IKEAs, assorted trips moving furniture and soon the job will be "mostly" done...Geese are acting all cliquish- Alpha gander is bullying Bravo gander something awful, but geese will be geese.Goats are getting caught not only in the fence, but sinking in the mud as the ponds dry up.Acorn has been a baking fool- three different items today and most are in the freezer, all portioned out.  Goat milk yogurt making continues- won't be long till that little chore is over.

A week of silly things happening, from unknown tractor belts to out-of-towners getting gas at Costco to varmints in the barns.Rain evades the farm for the most part, but 0.47" did manage to fall to start off the month.Goats are weaned, milking is in full swing and the chest freezers got sorted through. Skyr is going into the freezers at the rate of 3 qts a day.  At this rate, Acorn may only have to milk for the month of June, if that.  Make the skyr, make the mozzarella and be done.

Seed heads getting clipped of the fescue, fields are 2/3 done, if not a smidge more.Old Pi, our oldest cow, died and got toted with as much ceremony as the farmers could muster, up to the Upper 40 to be laid out on the glade. She was a very good cow who was not trouble at all.  Never sick, always had a good calf.Bucklings were taken to market, will see what they bring but prices have dropped a bit.Acorn has to wean the other goat kids now, spray the goats with permethrin spray against the onslaught of ticks. That will be fun fun fun...Have a great weekend and don't work too hard.  Blind Hog and Acorn promise to relax a little bit.

If only the weather could last longer as it is...  Highs near 70F, lows nice and cool enough to sleep with the windows open and needing a bit of blanket..Geese and goat kids are growing, garden is putting out asparagus.  Apple trees got a pruning so Blind Hog can ride the new mower under the branches and not lose his hat.Zero turn mower is certainly the way to go!  If only it could cut 8" tall out in the fields!

Blind Hog and Acorn started off the week by getting a really good deal on a battery powered riding mower, saving $2K off list price, only to find out that yes- it did have a serious problem and so they got it back to Tractor Supply within 24 hrs (almost) for a refund.  Seems it had a problem with the first owner who returned it and the problem did not duplicate itself for the store  manager.After much decision making, a zero-turn will be delivered to the farm on Wednesday... Yay!Sam the Farmdog just dispatched a huge male groundhog- he is still panting and a bit of blood is still coming from where the ferocious whistle pig got ahold of poor Sam's tongue!Hot, humid, but getting much needed rain in nice slow amounts- no drastic flooding involved.Scored a nice dining table with 8 chairs via FaceBook Marketplace... $100... Sold!Time for a cold beer and to give Sam a treat...